Shoreline change is experienced along the coasts of all oceans, seas and major bodies of water as a result of numerous factors, such as continuous fluctuations in tide and wind speed. While this process usually takes place over the course of several months or years, strong tides, heavy winds and/or large waves can result in the loss of shoreline within a short period of days or hours. This subsidence of land is known as coastal erosion. The following images present historical changes to the Town of Westerly's shoreline from 1939 (one year after the Hurricane of 1938) to 2014 (two years after Hurricane Sandy):