Course Description

Sandy coasts have special challenges and opportunities that are driven by the dynamics of sea level rise and coastal storms. From Virginia to the Caribbean, sandy coasts are the norm. This course will allow students to pursue advanced research work on beaches as a design opportunity that supports protection from storms for coastal communities, as well as habitat functions. We will review the latest findings from the Netherlands, where a number of innovative coastal projects involve new uses for recreational beaches that are designed to erode, thickening shorelines around them over time. One of the most promising is the “Zandmotor,” or sand engine, being constructed just north of Rotterdam. Students will have access to guest lecturers from the environmental sciences who specialize in beach dynamics, and will speak with experts and decision makers in the Hampton Roads area who have insight into the needs of VA and North Carolina communities that depend on beaches for protection and tourism revenue.

Requirements

Students will contribute to an analysis of the feasibility of using the Dutch Zandmotor approach to protect shorelines and support coastal habitat in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern US. This analysis will be shared with coastal communities in Virginia and North Carolina, as well as the US Army Corps of Engineers. Students will also be required to blog about their observations, readings and experiences as a way of engaging a larger audience in discussing this topic.

Readings

In addition to journal articles, technical reports, and news articles, we will read excerpts from the following books: Eric Bird, Coastal Geomorphology: An introduction, Wiley and Sons, 2008. G. Masselink and M. Hughes, Introduction to Coastal Processes and Geomorphology, Arnold Publishing, London, 2003.