Featured Working Group

Sea-level rise and storms cause major changes on coastal landscapes, including shifts in morphology, ecosystem type, soils, and plant communities. These changes also affect—and are affected by—human communities, the local economy, and ecosystem processes. Understanding how, when, and why these changes occur is important for informing policy and natural resource management decisions. The Dynamic Coastal Change group—made up of geographers, geologists, oceanographers, social scientists and ecologists—has been meeting to explore the interplay among physical, ecological, and social processes and how these factors influence coastal landforms under a changing climate, with a goal of furthering forecasting capabilities. A central tenet of this group is expanding opportunities for early career scientists and advancing DEIA goals. This summer, selected interns from University of New Orleans and Florida Atlantic University brought additional knowledge and experience in coastal communities to the project. The working group has also made efforts to promote psychological safety and develop collaboration skills and tools to support their interdisciplinary work together.