COASTAL EROSION AND LIGHTHOUSE RELOCATION ON CAPE COD AND MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS

There are 25 lighthouses located on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. This study examined three of these lighthouses (Gay Head Light on Martha’s Vineyard and Nauset Light and Nobska Light on Cape Cod) in the context of coastal erosion. Using satellite imagery, Massachusetts Ocean resource Information System (MORIS), and ArcMap GIS, average shoreline erosional rates were calculated over an interval of approximately 200 years. These data show the Nauset Light coastal area to be eroding at a rate of about 1 meter/year while the Gay Head and the Nobska Light coastal areas are eroding at a lower rate. Two of these lighthouses (Gay Head Light and Nauset Light) have been relocated due to coastal erosion. Nobska Light is protected by a seawall and has not been relocated.