360°: Temperate and Tropical Coasts in Transition
Coastlines, by definition transitional environments, are naturally dynamic and resilient. But climate change, sea level rise and shifting species distributions are now causing rapid physical and ecological changes to the world’s coasts. Anticipating and addressing these changes requires understanding the physical, chemical and biological processes that interact at the land-sea boundary. (Taught 2014-15; 2017; 2020; 2024)
Coastlines, by definition transitional environments, are naturally dynamic and resilient. But climate change, sea level rise and shifting species distributions are now causing rapid physical and ecological changes to the world’s coasts. Anticipating and addressing these changes requires understanding the physical, chemical and biological processes that interact at the land-sea boundary. (Taught 2014-15; 2017; 2020; 2024)
Coastlines, by definition transitional environments, are naturally dynamic and resilient. But climate change, sea level rise and shifting species distributions are now causing rapid physical and ecological changes to the world’s coasts. Anticipating and addressing these changes requires understanding the physical, chemical and biological processes that interact at the land-sea boundary. This two-course, upper-level science sequence aims to prepare and engage students in meeting these challenges. The cluster includes multiple field research opportunities: an investigation of temperate coastal environments, including barrier islands, estuaries, and saltmarshes of the Mid-Atlantic US coast, from New Jersey to North Carolina; tours and conversation with Smithsonian staff at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (Maryland); week-long travel to Belize to study coral reefs, mangroves, and rainforests on a tropical coast.
Courses
Taught in 2017, 2020, and 2024
An interdisciplinary course, taught by Tom Mozdzer, explores the ecological, biogeochemical, and physical aspects of coastal and marine ecosystems. We will compare intertidal habitats in both temperate and tropical environments, with a specific emphasis on global change impacts on coastal systems (e.g. sea level rise, warming, and species shifts).
An exploration of modern and ancient carbonate environments with a strong emphasis on reef environments. This course, taught by Pedro Marenco, includes an overview of the geochemical, sedimentological, and organismal parameters that impact tropical carbonate environments. This course is largely project-driven and meets twice weekly for a combination of lecture, discussion, and lab work.
2014-2015 Cluster Courses
The first iteration of this cluster was taught by Tom Mozdzer and Don Barber across the 2014-15 academic year, investigating temperate coastal environments, including barrier islands, estuaries, and saltmarshes of the Mid-Atlantic US coast as well as coral reefs, mangroves, and rainforests on the tropical coast of Belize.
An interdisciplinary course, taught by Tom Mozdzer, explores the ecological, biogeochemical, and physical aspects of coastal and marine ecosystems. We will compare intertidal habitats in both temperate and tropical environments, with a specific emphasis on global change impacts on coastal systems (e.g. sea level rise, warming, and species shifts). In 2015 the course will have a mandatory field trip to a tropical marine field station and an overnight field trip to a temperate field station in the mid-Atlantic.
Taught by Don Barber, this course is an introduction to oceanography, coastal processes, and the geomorphology of temperate and tropical shorelines. Includes an overview of the many parameters, including sea level change, that shape coastal environments. Meets twice weekly for a combination of lecture, discussion and hands-on exercises, including a mandatory multi-day field trip to investigate developed and pristine sections of the Mid-Atlantic US coast.