Coasting into Infinity
Let me introduce you to what is referred to as the Coastal Paradox in case you and CP have not yet met. In essence, a coastline is full of nooks and crannies made by nature. The more one zooms in, the more these inconsistencies multiply. Therefore, the length of a coastline depends on what size measurement unit is used.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) basically measures general coastal (beach) length. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) includes in their measurements the offshore islands, sounds, bays, coves, rivers, and creeks to the head of tidewater or to a point where tidal waters narrow to a width of 100 feet. Accordingly, using the CRS method, Maine’s coastline measures 228 mi (367 km); using the NOAA method, it measures 3,478 mi (5,597km).
Though it may sound counterintuitive, there is no objectively correct answer to the question because, in fact, it’s impossible to precisely measure the length of any coastline.
A coastline features an endless array of bays and promontories at all scales, and the smaller the unit of measurement, the more such features are detected, and therefore, the longer the coastline becomes. Follow this logic down to the atomic level, and the length of a coastline—any coastline— approaches infinity.
Then again, while vacationing on the coast of Maine, we woke one morning to no coastline whatsoever in our little cove, socked in as we were by dense fog!
and gesso in my art journal
2024
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4 responses to “Coasting into Infinity”
Oregon’s coastline must be similarly measurement challenged! The ins and outs (pun acknowledged) of coastline measurement are intriguing; all the paradoxes make sense. Glad I’m just in it from a curiosity perspective. The legal borders/boundaries stuff must be crazy-making.
Working to capture the glory/mysteriousness of being socked in by seaside fog was fun : )
xoxo
My line has always been that if you stretched out the Maine coast it would reach to Florida! I love this lesson on the “Coastal Paradox!” I’m going to print this and share with guests! Thank you!
Paul and I spent some time trying to follow the coastline…and we track it on a map. It’s nearly impossible…but we’re having fun trying and we’re seeing some really interesting places.
And the fog! I do love the fog sometimes…and you found a “foolproof” way of fooling around with it in your journal! Well done!
Stretching out the Maine coast to reach to Florida! LOL!
When you say you’ve spent some time trying to follow the coastline, do you pick a starting point and see how far you get? Great idea! When I was about 11 y.o., my family was living in the Netherlands (my dad’s workplace for two years)—one time my dad threw the (then) four kids in the car to head to the nearest canal and follow it as far as we could, which took us to the North Sea : )
Thanks for your appreciation of my finding a foolproof way to fool around with fog in my journal!
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