Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society

Credit: Wave 2444043 by TimHill is licensed under CC0

Resource Description

Has your attention recently been caught by news of coastal catastrophes such as hurricanes and tsunamis? Do you wonder why so many coastal communities in the world are vulnerable to flooding and other coastal hazards? Have you considered what coastal flood protections cities like Houston and Miami will need in the future to protect their residents? This course will provide a better understanding of these phenomena. We present a global perspective of coastal landscapes, the geologic processes responsible for their formation, and ways that society responds to hazards like sea level rise and catastrophic weather events. You will participate in active learning exercises such as analyzing real-world datasets and applying critical thinking to real-world societal problems while investigating a coastal community.

Course Number

EARTH 107N

License

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Online Resource

You can view the entire resource here: Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society

Download Resource Files

You can download the resource files here: Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society
Tim Bralower

Tim Bralower was born in Armonk, NY but moved to London at the age of four. Tim attended Oxford University and received a BA in Earth Science. Tim followed his undergraduate degree with a PhD in Earth Science at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. Although a classically trained marine geologist, Tim's specialty is calcareous nannoplankton, a group of marine plankton that leave an exquisite fossil record. The nannoplankton allow us to tell time or date ancient sediments back to 225 million years ago, and, in addition, inform us about environments in the past. Recently Tim has focused his research on ancient time periods when climate warmed rapidly. In particular, he is interested in what happens to life during these episodes.

Dinah Maygarden

Dinah Maygarden, Research Associate and Director of the Coastal Education Program in the Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences at the University of New Orleans, received a B.Sc. from the University of Wales and a M.A., Science Teaching from the University of New Orleans. Dinah has worked in these and other capacities for 20 years at UNO. She works to secure funding to implement educational projects that address science education needs, particularly those pertaining to increasing young people's and teachers' understanding of Louisiana's coastal zone.

Brent Yarnal

Brent Yarnal grew up north of San Francisco in Sonoma County, California. He got his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Davis, master's degree from the University of Calgary, Alberta, and doctorate from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although his graduate training was in physical geography focusing on climatology, geomorphology, and glaciology, today his research bridges the physical and social sciences and integrates climate change, natural hazards, and the use of environmental information in decision-making. He is especially interested in what makes individuals, groups, and communities vulnerable to climate extremes and coastal hazards.

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