The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District developed techniques to analyze sediment budgets along the North Carolina coast. By combining data on shoreline changes, tidal inlets, and wave energy, they calculated how much sediment moves along the coast. These calculations help balance the amount of sediment coming in and going out of coastal areas. The rates of sediment transport they found are realistic and have been used in planning coastal projects like storm damage reduction and navigation improvements.