Editing Smith Island, Maryland (section)

==Geography==
Smith Island lies approximately {{convert|10|mi|0}} west of [[Crisfield, Maryland]], across the [[Tangier Sound]] portion of the [[Chesapeake Bay]]. The island consists of three communities, namely Ewell, Tylerton, and Rhodes Point, which all sit on the Maryland portion of the island. The Virginia portion is uninhabited, although it once contained many homes of early settlers.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

Although a portion of this island lies within Virginia, "[[Smith Island, Virginia]]" refers to a separate but identically named barrier island off [[Cape Charles (headland)|Cape Charles]].

=== Sea level rise ===
By the 2010s, the island had shrunk, mainly from erosion and [[sea level rise|rising sea levels]]. In the last 150 years, Smith Island has lost over {{convert|3300|acre|km2|0}} of wetlands. The island is projected to be completely eroded by 2100 should the sea level rise by another foot.<ref name=Newsweek/> Preventative measures have been implemented, including a [[jetty]]-building project completed in 2018, and the realignment of waterways through dredging.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2018/06/21/officials-mark-completion-of-jetties-on-historic-smith-island/ | title=Officials Mark Completion of Jetties on Historic Smith Island |publisher=Maryland Department of Natural Resources |date=June 21, 2018 |access-date=July 24, 2024}}</ref> These restoration efforts will be ongoing for the next 50 years to restore {{convert|1900|acre|km2|0}} of [[submerged aquatic vegetation]] and {{convert|240|acre|km2|0}} of wetlands.<ref>[http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/projects/Maryland/smithisland.htm US Army Corps of Engineers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206104731/http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/projects/Maryland/smithisland.htm |date= December 6, 2006 }} Smith Island, Maryland Environmental Restoration and Protection Project Accessed October 11, 2007</ref> Moreover, the island is building additional [[Coastal management|coastal defenses]].<ref name=Newsweek/>