Category: Research

Baseline Dataset Collection at the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores!

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.

Brendan Burchi jumps into field data collection on day one!
Dr. Gittman (right), Jen Fickler (left), and Alexis Longmire (center).
Brendan and Sarah Pettyjohn guiding floating sleds loaded with equipment after a long day in the field.
Drone image of NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores by Ms. Sarah Pettyjohn.

May 2024: Sugarloaf Island Restoration Project Update

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!

WADs being placed along the eastern shore.
Delanie (L) and Sarah (R) survey the beach.
WAD placement on Sugarloaf Island

Monitoring Olivine Sand Placement Near Duck’s Oceanfront

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.

MS Geography student, Sarah Pettyjohn (left) and Dr. Sirianni (right) prepare for takeoff from the beach, ready to fly out over the Atlantic to monitor the plume.

New publication in Anthropocene Coasts!

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 

Sarah Pettyjohn @ AGU!

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!

Department of Coastal Studies – Department of Geography, Planning and Environment 2023 Symposium

The Department of Coastal Studies and the Department of Geography, Planning & Environment held their first joint symposium at the ECU Outer Banks Campus on Friday, March 31, 2023. Enjoy scrolling through the pictures below starting with Shannon and moving on to Zoe and the other students that presented their research.

A link to the prgram can be found here: https://sites.google.com/view/dcs-dgpesymposium/home

  • Undergraduate student Shannon Clough presents her research work.
  • Undergraduate student Zoe Garner presents her research work.
  • PhD student Megan Geesin presents her poster to Dr. Steven Richter.
  • Master’s student Jonathan Teboul presents his thesis research to Dr David Lagomassino and the crowd.
  • Master’s student Nelson Adeniji is handed the mic by Dr Tom Rickenbauch.
  • https://thcas.ecu.edu/2023/03/31/harriot-college-and-integrated-coastal-programs-host-first-ever-collaborative-research-symposium/
  • https://thcas.ecu.edu/2023/03/31/harriot-college-and-integrated-coastal-programs-host-first-ever-collaborative-research-symposium/

New grant news release!

NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program and the U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP) are backing our project “Co-developing a community and data-driven framework for coastal protection decision-making.” This work is in collaboration with Rachel Gittman (PI) and co-pIs Hannah Sirianni, Nadine Heck, Siddharth Narayan, Scott Leahy, Frank Lopez, Sarah Spiegler.

To learn more, check out the news release here: https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/news/2023/01/north-carolina-sea-grant-advances-shoreline-protection-and-coastal-resilience/

Newly constructed living shoreline in Carteret County.