360掳: Temperate and Tropical Coasts in Transition
Coastlines, by definition transitional environments, are naturally dynamic and resilient. But climate change, sea level rise and shifting species distributions are now causing rapid physical and ecological changes to the world鈥檚 coasts. Anticipating and addressing these changes requires understanding the physical, chemical and biological processes that interact at the land-sea boundary. (Taught 2014-15; 2017; 2020; 2024)
Coastlines, by definition transitional environments, are naturally dynamic and resilient. But climate change, sea level rise and shifting species distributions are now causing rapid physical and ecological changes to the world鈥檚 coasts. Anticipating and addressing these changes requires understanding the physical, chemical and biological processes that interact at the land-sea boundary. (Taught 2014-15; 2017; 2020; 2024)
Coastlines, by definition transitional environments, are naturally dynamic and resilient. But climate change, sea level rise and shifting species distributions are now causing rapid physical and ecological changes to the world鈥檚 coasts. Anticipating and addressing these changes requires understanding the physical, chemical and biological processes that interact at the land-sea boundary. This two-course, upper-level science sequence aims to prepare and engage students in meeting these challenges. The cluster includes multiple field research opportunities: an investigation of temperate coastal environments, including barrier islands, estuaries, and saltmarshes of the Mid-Atlantic US coast, from New Jersey to North Carolina; tours and conversation with Smithsonian staff at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (Maryland); week-long travel to Belize to study coral reefs, mangroves, and rainforests on a tropical coast.