North Carolina Coastal Geology Cooperative Research Program - Renewal Funding
Grant
Overview
abstract
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This cooperative program between East Carolina University and the US Geological Survey provides a mechanism to support scientific and technical interactions between the two organizations. Scientists at ECU will conduct basic and applied coastal research within the complex riverine-estuarine-barrier island-inner shelf system. The USGS will conduct research and mapping studies primarily in the US Exclusive Economic Zone, designed to map and understand geological features and processes. The estuaries and barrier islands of northeastern North Carolina are invaluable resources that serve vital roles within the coastal ecosystem and the economic growth and development of the region. The major goal of this study is to map the Quaternary section within the shallow Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system and associated barrier islands in order to develop the geologic framework and define the process dynamics. In achieving this goal, our research team will delineate and define the geologic framework and evolutionary development of the NC coastal system and provide a regional synthesis that will support a wide range of management decisions and scientific activities. Methods will include remote sensing (GPR, seismic, chirp, etc.), deep vibracoring, microbiota characterization of modern ecosystems and Quaternary stratigraphic units, geochemical characterization, and radioisotopic age dating. These different scientific methods will allow our research group to identify and map the sedimentary habitats and define the environmental processes and hazards within these habitats. In addition, we hope to develop a regional sea-level and climate history for the Holocene and multiple glaciation-deglaciation episodes of the Pleistocene.
date/time interval
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July 2007 - September 2010
awarded by