SPCMSC Research Scientist to present at the virtual International Conference on Coastal Engineering being held from 6-9 October 2020

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The presentation includes co-authors Noreen Buster (Geologist), Emily Wei (CNSS Researcher VI), and Dan Ciarletta (Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow) and focuses on shoreface geology of three barrier island systems on the east coast of the U.S.: Rockaway Peninsula, NY; Fire Island, NY; and Cedar Island, VA. Sediment availability and how sediment is exchanged within coastal systems are key components of coastal resilience, particularly for barrier islands. Geologic assessments that characterize barrier island sediment distribution often have focused on terrestrial and continental shelf (water depths >10m) environments. However, little is known about shoreface sediment distribution (water depths 0-20m) and to what extent it is linked to coastal change. Most shoreface research has focused on characterizing or modeling shoreface morphology and this work has shown the value of shoreface morphologic data in reducing uncertainty in shoreline change predictions. However, shoreface geologic data could further reduce uncertainties by quantifying variations in shoreface extent that might influence coastal evolution over decadal and longer timescales. For shorter time scales especially, an important consideration is the response of the shoreface due to human actions. Sediment availability can be altered by beach nourishment, hard structures, and artificially tall dunes, all of which will impact sediment exchange from the shoreface to the back-barrier. Understanding how natural and human-induced variability combine to influence shoreface sediment availability could provide insight to future coastal resilience to both storms and sea-level rise. Registration for the conference is free and anyone is invited to attend. Though a pre-recorded version of the presentation will be played live on 9 October, it and all other conference presentations can be accessed throughout the conference through the conference website (https://vicce.live/).

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