Dr. Sean Charles measures a mangrove trunk during a recent field campaign in the Everglades.

The March 2023 installment of the “Science on the Sound” Lecture Series will be held at 6 pm on March 30 at the Coastal Studies Institute on the ECU Outer Banks Campus. This monthly, in-person, lecture series brings perspectives from all over the state and highlights coastal topics in northeastern North Carolina. This month’s featured speakers are Dr. Sean Charles, postdoctoral scholar at CSI, and Robbie Fearn, Director of Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary. Together they will present Coastal Wetlands in a Changing World: Life, Loss, and Restoration in Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary (Currituck Sound NC) & the Florida Everglades.

Coastal wetlands provide vital habitat for economically and environmentally important species, enhance water quality, and play a crucial role in reducing the impacts of climate change. Wetland plants and soils sequester carbon from the atmosphere more efficiently than any other ecosystem, fighting global and protecting coastal communities from rising seas and intensifying storms. However, storms, rising seas, and saltwater intrusion, in combination with local human impacts, also lead to wetland damage and loss. Charles and Fearn’s presentation will discuss wetland damage and innovative restoration projects both locally in Currituck Sound and in the Florida Everglades.

For those unable to attend, the program will be live-streamed, as well as archived for later viewing, on the CSI YouTube Channel.

Led by East Carolina University (ECU), The Coastal Studies Institute is a multi-institutional research and educational partnership of the UNC System including North Carolina State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Wilmington, and Elizabeth City State University.

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CSI BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Based at the Coastal Studies Institute (CSI), the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program (NCROEP) advances inter-disciplinary marine energy solutions across UNC System partner colleges of engineering at NC State University, UNC Charlotte, and NC A&T University.  Click on the links below for more information.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

JENNETTE'S PIER WAVE ENERGY TEST CENTER

SMALL-SCALE WAVE TANK

ECU's Integrated Coastal Programs (ECU ICP) is a leader in coastal and marine research, education, and engagement.   ECU ICP includes the Coastal Studies Institute, ECU's Department of Coastal Studies, and ECU Diving and Water Safety.

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The faculty and staff at the Coastal Studies Institute come from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines, as well as departments and organizations including ECU Department of Biology, ECU Department of Coastal Studies, NC Sea Grant, the North Carolina Renewable Energy Program, and the UNC Institute for the Environment.

MEET THE TEAM

Tour the ECU Outer Banks Campus and learn about the research, education, and engagement projects of CSI and ECU Integrated Coastal Programs through our 360 virtual tour.

VIRTUAL TOUR

The ECU Outer Banks campus is home to the Coastal Studies Institute.
Located on Roanoke Island along the banks of the second largest estuary
in the United States, this coastal campus spans 213 acres of marshes, scrub wetlands, forested wetlands, and estuarine ecosystems.

FACILITIES

SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS