Center for Coastal & Marine Studies
World Sand Dune Day - 2021
The first World Sand Dune Day will be marked in June this year to highlight the importance of conserving these vital coastal habitats around the world.
The day of celebration will take place on 25 June 2021 and has been established by the Sands of LIFE and Dynamic Dunescapes projects - two initiatives dedicated to protecting sand dunes in England and Wales and the wildlife that depend upon them.
Healthy dunes provide habitats for a wealth of rare and specialised wildlife. These include a range of wildflowers, bryophytes, invertebrates and insects which require bare sand habitat to survive.
Coastal sand dunes and the surrounding landscapes also provide important recreational spaces for communities through connection with nature and providing links to cultural heritage and celebrated historic sites.
Over the last 80 years, open sand has largely disappeared from sand dunes, replaced by dense grass and scrub. This change has been caused by factors such as the introduction of non-native plants, lower levels of grazing, climate change and air pollution. As the dunes have become more stable and overgrown, rare wildlife has declined.
Find more info here!
COASTS FOR KIDS-2021: A series of educational videos about the coast, for children, and also adults!
Led by our colleague Irene Delgado-Fernandez, coastal geomorphologist (Edge Hill University, UK), this series has resulted in a wonderful contribution to environmental education on the coast.
Coasts for Kids is a collaborative experience between children and their parents, coastal scientists, community artists, teachers, animators and coastal managers. The series is aimed at kids aged 6 and over. It includes important concepts in coastal processes and coastal evolution in Episodes 1, 2 and 3, followed up by analyses of human impacts in Episode 4 and management actions in Episode 5.
The series (trailer + 5 episodes) are ready for free download, and this will be communicated in Youtube Channel and via twitter/online networks (@IreneDelgadoFe2).
APRIL 19-30, 2021. VIENNA, AUSTRIA. EUROPEAN GEOSCIENCES UNION (vEGU2021)
The Geomorphology Session GM6.6/NH5 on: “Coastal Zone Geomorphological Interactions: Natural versus Human-Induced Driving Factors” was successfully conducted for the thirteenth time at the vEGU 2021 General Assembly, 19-30 April 2021 in Vienna, Austria. Actually, this year’s session was only organized from Vienna, while all the conference attendants joined via Zoom Meetings system. Despite some technical problems on the first day, the session ran smoothly, and all apart one presenter were present via online system.
Contributions to this session were focused on wide range of topics, including the mechanisms triggering coastal flow slides, vulnerability of coastal deltas, trends in shoreline variability driven by anthropogenic factors, coastal dunes as natural coastal protection measures - all these addressed also the many natural and anthropogenic factors.
A Blueprint for Coastal Adaptation: Uniting Design, Economics, and Policy
Tens of millions of Americans are at risk from sea level rise, increased tidal flooding, and intensifying storms. The design and policy decisions that have shaped coastal areas are in desperate need of updates to help communities better adapt to a changing climate. A Blueprint for Coastal Adaptation identifies a bold new research and policy agenda and provides implementable options for coastal communities.
