The placement of Wave Attenuation Devices (WADs) and the Oyster Catcher living shorelines on Sugarloaf Island, NC, is nearing completion.
Sarah Pettyjohn’s drone footage, captured just before sunset on November 17, 2024, shows the progress made on the installation. Stay tuned for updates as this project reaches its final stages!
Sarah Pettyjohn presented her year-long drone data collection project at the NC Coastal Conference, showing seasonal topographic changes on Sugarloaf Island. Over the past year, she has compared four seasons of change. This is an achievement never before accomplished with this combination of technology and restoration tactics in NC. Partially funded by the NC Coastal Federation, her work will double in scope next year to develop a comprehensive pre- and post-restoration understanding of how wave attenuation devices and living shorelines can help preserve this disappearing island. Keep up the amazing work, Sarah, you’re awesome!
In Summer 2024, Brendan collected baseline data on the shoreline and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) at the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. This study, funded by the North Carolina Coastal Federation, supports a living shoreline restoration project integrating three substrate types: ExoForms™ Natrx, QuickReef®, and Oyster Catcher™ to assess their effectiveness in reducing erosion and supporting SAV stability. The project is led by Dr. Rachel Gittman, Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Sirianni, Co-PI, and Brendan’s advisor. Dr. Gittman also serves as a critical member of Brendan’s committee.
Congratulations to Delanie Ipock for receiving the Summer 2024 Internship at the Montgomery Botanical Center in Coral Gables, FL! Delanie has extended her summer undergraduate research assistantship in the Coastal Geography & Terrain Analysis Lab to new applications, assisting the botanical center on their 120-acre property. Way to go, Delanie!
The Sugarloaf Island Restoration Project has successfully placed Wave Attenuation Devices (WADs) on the western shores and is now moving east. Below are images from our Spring 2024 drone mapping campaign. We’re excited to have undergraduate student Delanie Ipock join us in the field for the first time. Welcome to the lab, Delanie!
Vesta is placing olivine sand in the nearshore waters off Duck, N.C., from May to July 2024. This project pilots Coastal Carbon Capture™ (CCC), a technique inspired by Coastal Enhanced Weathering (CEW) to speed up the natural removal of atmospheric CO2. More details can be found on Vesta’s website here.
How can we best monitor the plume created once the olivine sand is released to the bottom of the sea? We are using UAS to track the plume, aiding in this important climate science research.
Sirianni, H., Montz, B., Pettyjohn, S. Bluff retreat in North Carolina: harnessing resident and land use professional surveys alongside LiDAR remote sensing and GIS analysis for coastal management insights. Anthropocene Coasts, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44218-024-00043-z (Journal Article: IF 2.4).
The article is available online here https://doi.org/10.1007/s44218-024-00043-z
or as a PDF here https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s44218-024-00043-z.pdf
Sirianni, H., Richter, J., Sirianni, M., Pettyjohn, S. (2024) Shoreline classification maps and ground truth data for the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina. Scientific Data, 11(103). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-02954-5
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-024-02954-5
Congrats to Sarah for her outstanding presentation at the 2023 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA! Her research, titled “Quantifying Storm-Induced Bluff Erosion Using Aerial Imagery and Lidar: A Case Study of the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, USA,” not only drew attention but also sparked thought-provoking discussions among her peers.
What’s truly remarkable is that this isn’t even part of her master’s thesis; Sarah conducted this work as part of her research assistantship in the Coastal Geography & Terrain Analysis Lab. Way to go, Sarah!
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