Hundreds of Barrier Islands Newly Identified in Global Survey

Earth has 657 more barrier islands than previously thought, according to a new global survey by researchers from Duke University and Meredith College. Barrier islands help protect low-lying mainland coasts against erosion and storm damage, and can be important wildlife habitats.

Nile Delta Desert Islands: An Artist And A Scientist Symbiotic Point of View

Although remote and undeveloped, the Nile Delta desert islands reveal the critical state of the Nile River and its people. The Delta is sinking and the barrier islands are receding. World-renowned coastal geologist Orrin H. Pilkey and artist Mary Edna Fraser, an internationally recognized master of the textile art of batik, bring an understanding of coastal geology and global change to the public in a way that is scientifically astute and visually intriguing.

50 Houses on Kiawah Sand

A documentary about proposed development at south end of Kiawah Island, produced by Mary Edna Fraser and Celie Dailey. Includes interviews with Dr. Orrin Pilkey, Professor of Earth Scieces at Duke University, and Nancy Vinson, Coastal Conservation League’s Program Director for Air and Water Quality.

Sea Level Rise And The World’s Beaches, by Orrin H. Pilkey

Of all the various anticipated impacts of global climate change, sea level rise will likely be the first to produce a human catastrophe on a global scale. If our beaches are to survive for our grandchildren’s enjoyment, the time has come to plan the big withdrawal.

As Glaciers Melt, Science Seeks Data on Rising Seas

Researchers have recently been startled to see big changes unfold in both Greenland and Antarctica. The question is not whether the earth’s land ice is melting in response to the greenhouse gases people are generating, but whether it will happen much too fast for society to adjust.

Kiribati Conference: Voices From the South Pacific

About 40 officials from around the world flew to the tiny atoll nation of Kiribati, a chain of low-lying South Pacific islands, to attend a conference addressing the impacts of climate change on some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.