COASTLINE CHANGE, COASTAL DEVELOPMENT
& COASTAL
ECOSYSTEMS
Shorelines are in a constant state of evolution
due to the natural processes of erosion and
sediment
transport. This natural dynamic coastline behavior,
especially along sedimentary coasts, both impacts
human attempts
to maintain shoreline infrastructure (such as
buildings and roads) in fixed locations over
decades or longer, and
is impacted by human manipulation of coastal
environments. In addition, sea level rise and
changing storm and wave
patterns resulting from climate change will strongly
affect the natural dynamics of coastal systems.
And changes
in shoreface morphology due to natural dynamics,
human manipulation, sea-level rise, and changes
in wave patterns
have implications not only for the coastline,
but also for back-barrier environments and
ecosystems. Strategies
and policies concerning coastal development and
environmental protection will evolve in response
to these changes.
The coastal group will investigate the long-term evolution of
the coastal environment that may result
from the combined interaction of climate, shoreline dynamics, ecosystem
dynamics, and human development, focusing
on the barrier island coastal system of the Carolinas. More specifically,
the group will focus on assessing:
1. how severely open-ocean coastline evolution
is likely to impinge on back-barrier
environments through changes
to barrier-island morphology under various
coastal-development practices,
2. what are the most important
ways that the back-barrier environments will change,
and
3. how these prospective consequences are
likely to feed back into coastal development
and
management practices.
The group will improve the physical aspects
of a numerical model of coastal sediment
dynamics (including the effects
of soft and hard structures, and shoreface
lithologies, on large-scale sediment
flux); use this model
to investigate
the effects of natural coastal dynamics,
sea level rise, changing storm and
wave patterns,
and human manipulations
on coastal morphology; and hold a series
of meetings with visiting coastal scientists,
social scientists,
planners,
and policy makers to explore the ramifications
for economic evolution and ecosystem
dynamics of coastal evolution
under the influences of rising sea level,
changing
wave climates, and coastal development.
The group is composed of a coastal geologist
(Brad Murray), a paleoclimatologist (Tom
Crowley), a
marine policy expert (Mike Orbach), a marine
biologist (Joe Ramus), and an environmental
economist (Marty Smith).
During the Fall 2003 term, the group is
offering a course to graduate students
that will explore
the
linkages between coastal dynamics, climatic
change, and coastal development, focusing
on the Virginia/North
Carolina
coast. For more information, please click here.
Click here for
a short presentation of images and information
on the impact of Hurricane Isabel on North Carolina
prepared by students from the Coastal Response
to Sea
Level
Rise
class.
For more information contact:
Professor Brad Murray
abmurray@duke.edu
web: www.nicholas.duke.edu/eos
ph. 919-681-5069 fax 919-684-5833
