Traditional parameterizations relating to the behavior of surface stress within the marine atmospheric surfacelayer begin to break down within a coastal shoaling zone due to the exclusion of surface wave characteristics. As ocean flows begin to feel the effects of local bathymetry surface waves steepen and their phase speeds decrease leading to increased shear stress. A primary goal in the 1997 Shoaling Wave Experiment held near Duck, NC was to simultaneously investigate the spatial variation of both the surface stress and wave characteristics. The Long-EZ aircraft flew multiple transects within the shoaling zone utilizing a turbulent gust probe for atmospheric turbulence measurements and a high resolution downward looking laser array for wave characteristic measurements. Preliminary results show significant deviations of the behavior of the drag coefficient from the behavior of local wind speeds indicating wave influences. Further results will be presented.