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2. Shoreline Imagery

This is an excellent place to start to gain a full understanding of how your particular location has changed over time, and how it might be influenced by nearby structures.

  • Google Earth is a great place to start to learn how the shoreline has changed. When you open Google Earth, notice the icon at the top with a clock and backward arrow. This is the historical imagery time slider. It will show you satellite imagery of any location throughout time.

  • The Coastal Imagery Viewer from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offers aerial photography from 2015 to present. Simply select a year and zoom in to your location to see the available photos.

  • Michigan's Coastlines Through Time is an interactive viewer of the available historical aerial photography on the Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior shorelines of the state. Click on the State below to see a few other examples of state- or province- specific viewers:

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