Moving Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Away from Shifting Shoreline

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina was moved inland in 1999 to prevent it from being lost to the sea due to coastal erosion and sea level rise. The structure, weighing over 4,800 tons, had seen its distance from the ocean shrink from 1,500 feet at construction to 120 feet by the end of the twentieth century. This relocation serves as an example of the 'hard choices' required to protect historic sites as sea levels in the Outer Banks rise two to three times faster than the global average and Category 4 and 5 hurricanes in the North Atlantic have roughly doubled since 1970.

• The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved nearly 3,000 feet southwest in 1999 after coastal erosion and sea level rise reduced its distance from the ocean from 1,500 feet at the time of construction to 120 feet by the end of the twentieth century.
• Environmental pressures in the Outer Banks include sea level rise occurring at two to three times the global average and a doubling of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes in the North Atlantic since 1970.
• The lighthouse's foundation, consisting of brick and granite on yellow pine timbers, was specifically vulnerable to saltwater intrusion and sand erosion, which threatened the stability of the entire 4,800-ton building.
• The Outer Banks region faces systemic vulnerability due to the natural migration of barrier islands, which is accelerated by sea level rise and increased coastal development, threatening infrastructure such as Highway 12 and the Bonner Bridge.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Moving Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Away from Shifting Shoreline. https://www.ucs.org/resources/moving-cape-hatteras-lighthouse-away-shifting-shoreline

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Moving Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Away from Shifting Shoreline. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/resources/moving-cape-hatteras-lighthouse-away-shifting-shoreline.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Moving Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Away from Shifting Shoreline |date=19 July 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/moving-cape-hatteras-lighthouse-away-shifting-shoreline |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016moving, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Moving Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Away from Shifting Shoreline}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/moving-cape-hatteras-lighthouse-away-shifting-shoreline}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }