93
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. J. Culver (ed.), Troubled Waters, Springer Climate,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52383-1_6
Chapter 6
What Lies Beneath? Revealing Coastal
Processes Through Mapping
J. P. Walsh
Abstract Coastal areas are changing as a result of natural and human activities,
and these dynamics create risks for citizens and communities. Science is needed to
map and measure coasts and oceans, and many new tools exist to enhance our
knowledge. In this chapter, some of the methods being employed around the
world are discussed including GIS, multibeam sonar and aerial imaging. Stories
from past and recent research are used to explain the approaches as well as their
scientific and societal value. Weaving together experiences from ancient worlds, on
distant shores and with crocodiles, I explain how and why we learn about what lies
beneath the waves and along our shores.
Keywords Coast · Sediment · Shoreline · GIS · Mapping · Multibeam · Outer
Banks · North Carolina · Papua New Guinea · Rhode Island
An “Aha” in an Ancient Ocean
The ocean is scary. Many people hear the “Jaws” theme song when they take a dip
in the sea. Sometimes I do too. Coastal geologists and oceanographers like myself
want to understand what lies along the shore and underneath the sea. Every coast
and every ocean has a story, and we seek to reveal it. This exercise is as much about
learning about the future as it is about the past, especially as communities plan for
the next storm or decades of sea-level rise. By measuring and mapping the land and
sea, we can determine the location of valuable resources, such as sand to maintain
shorelines or long-lost habitats. As a surfer I must add that I am more scared about
what the sea will do to our coast than I am about a shark nibbling on my limbs.
J. P. Walsh (*)
Coastal Resources Center, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island,
Narragansett, RI, USA
e-mail: jpwalsh@uri.edu
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. J. Culver (ed.), Troubled Waters, Springer Climate,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52383-1_6
Chapter 6
What Lies Beneath? Revealing Coastal
Processes Through Mapping
J. P. Walsh
Abstract Coastal areas are changing as a result of natural and human activities,
and these dynamics create risks for citizens and communities. Science is needed to
map and measure coasts and oceans, and many new tools exist to enhance our
knowledge. In this chapter, some of the methods being employed around the
world are discussed including GIS, multibeam sonar and aerial imaging. Stories
from past and recent research are used to explain the approaches as well as their
scientific and societal value. Weaving together experiences from ancient worlds, on
distant shores and with crocodiles, I explain how and why we learn about what lies
beneath the waves and along our shores.
Keywords Coast · Sediment · Shoreline · GIS · Mapping · Multibeam · Outer
Banks · North Carolina · Papua New Guinea · Rhode Island
An “Aha” in an Ancient Ocean
The ocean is scary. Many people hear the “Jaws” theme song when they take a dip
in the sea. Sometimes I do too. Coastal geologists and oceanographers like myself
want to understand what lies along the shore and underneath the sea. Every coast
and every ocean has a story, and we seek to reveal it. This exercise is as much about
learning about the future as it is about the past, especially as communities plan for
the next storm or decades of sea-level rise. By measuring and mapping the land and
sea, we can determine the location of valuable resources, such as sand to maintain
shorelines or long-lost habitats. As a surfer I must add that I am more scared about
what the sea will do to our coast than I am about a shark nibbling on my limbs.
J. P. Walsh (*)
Coastal Resources Center, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island,
Narragansett, RI, USA
e-mail: jpwalsh@uri.edu