Data collected since 1880 from sites along the shoreline generally show a higher rate of annual shoreline loss in the eastern part of Long Island Sound than in the western part, where there’s an overall increase in the shoreline. But much of that -- particularly in New Haven and Bridgeport -- is the result of man-made development – the filling in of waterfront areas to increase land mass.

In the short term, from 1983 to 2006, the state’s shoreline has changed more quickly, and there’s been a loss of land.