COASTAL CHANGES, EASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN, 1970-74 



Wilticm A. B-ivkemeiev 

 I. INTRODUCTION 



Dramatic erosional changes along the shorelines of the Great Lakes (Fig. 

 1), which occurred during a rise in lake level from a low in 1964 to a peak 

 level in 1973, sparked renewed interest in understanding and predicting the 

 processes involved. An investigation of these changes began, under contract 

 with the U.S. Army Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC), in August 1970 

 with a series of monthly surveys of the 17 profile lines shown in Figure 2. 

 The investigation continued until December 1974. 



Figure 1. Severe bluff erosion undermining lakefront home 

 near Stevensville, Michigan (17 October 1976). 



Two reports published by CERC describe the results of the program up to 

 July 1973 (Davis, Fingleton, and Pritchett, 1975; Davis, 1976). Davis, 

 Fingleton, and Pritchett (1975) discuss the period between August 1970 and 

 July 1972 and include background and environmental data, the location of the 

 profile lines, the conditions at each line, the details of the monitoring 

 program, as well as document changes from 1970 to 1972. Davis (1976) discus- 

 ses the results from August 1970 to July 1973 and includes further background 

 and environmental data, an air photo analysis of shoreline changes at the 17 

 profile lines from 1938 to 1972, and an analysis of the offshore bar topog- 

 raphy at each line. 



This report discusses both the final period of study (October 1973 to 

 December 1974) and the combined data collected during the entire study, with 

 primary emphasis on measurements of bluff recession. Section II defines the 

 important terms used in the report. Section III discusses the study area and 



