1 . INTRODUCTION 



The complexities of shoreline response to sea level rise are 

 contingent upon a very wide range of inter-relationships between 

 physical/ecological factors. The focus of resource analysis for the 

 present purpose must ultimately be on predictive capability, since we are 

 principally dealing with the question of how shorelines and shore 

 environment will change with future sea level rise. Prediction in turn 

 requires an understanding of process fundamentals and adequate data. 

 Therefore, much of what follows pertains to these aspects, which in many 

 cases have more to do with the basics of resource response to hydrodynamic 

 and meteorologic forcing than to sea level rise. If this can be 

 elucidated, then imposing and evaluating the effect of sea level rise 

 becomes a far less difficult task. 



Organization of basic knowledge is intertwined with the question of 

 resolution of spatial and temporal scales. The desired resolution for the 

 evaluation of a resource is set by criteria which are dependent upon many 

 non-technical factors. At a built-up shoreline, a 10 m recession could 

 severely damage a structure, while at a natural shoreline the concerns will 

 be less stringent. Then again, in low lying areas such as the Florida 

 Everglades, just a few centimeter rise in sea level would prove to be 

 disastrous to water management, and would cause extensive ecological 

 changes associated with salinity intrusion. A rapidly rising sea level can 

 generate a materially different response than a slow one, an example being 

 the fragile barrier island shoreline. Finally, there is the question of 

 absolute sea level rise and the associated shoreline scenarios. By keeping 

 the issues focussed on the coastal processes themselves, we have in the 

 most part stayed clear of centering on specific temporal and spatial scales 

 explicitly, even though such considerations are inherent in evaluating the 

 degree of uncertainty in the state-of-the-art knowledge and in future 

 research needs . 



The interactive nature of coastal processes renders it difficult to 

 isolate resource issues and place them under well-defined "umbrellas" for 

 descriptive purposes. We have selected ten headings (sections 2 through 

 11) within which a range of topics has been referenced. The first of these 



