The Coastal Atlas is a tool that allows state and local decision-makers to visually analyze and explore data for coastal and ocean planning activities. To ensure the protection of Maryland’s critical ocean and estuarine resources and the coastal economies that depend on them, the Coastal Atlas has been developed to provide direct access to available data needed for coastal and ocean planning efforts. From finding the best location for renewable energy projects to determining the most sensitive coastal lands requiring conservation or restoration to helping local communities identify areas vulnerable to sea level rise and erosion – the Coastal Atlas will assist users in identifying potential threats, opportunities or conflicts so that they can be addressed early in the planning process.
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The Coastal Atlas is comprised of three separate mapping tools for the Ocean, Shorelines and Estuaries.
Ocean – Allows users to view ocean data and access tools to understand and balance multiple ocean uses, including shipping, offshore renewable energy, recreation and fishing. Ocean data includes:
- Marine Jurisdictions
- Bathymetry
- Human Uses – shipping, recreation
- Biological resources – SAV, salt marsh, waterbird density
- Ocean shoals
- Artificial reefs
- Offshore wind resources
Shorelines – Allows users to access state shoreline erosion data, visualize coastal inundation from storms and identify areas at risk to sea level rise. Shorelines data includes:
- Historic Shorelines and Shoreline Rates of Change
- Sea Level Rise Vulnerability
- Wetlands Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise
- Storm Surge
- Living Shorline Suitability
- Erosion Vulnerability (EVA)
Estuaries – Allows users to identify and access critical tidal and near-shore habitats for targeted conservation, protection and restoration activities such as tidal wetlands, priority finfish habitat and submerged aquatic vegetation. Estuaries data includes:
- Living Resources (habitat, shellfish, finfish spawning areas)
- Blue Infrastructure Near-shore Assessment Rankings
- Bay Soils
- Streams
- Wetlands
