1
© 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_1
Chapter 1
A Cautionary Scientific Tale
and an Introduction to This Book
Stephen J. Culver
Abstract The unplanned collection of a small, nondescript rock in Senegal, west
Africa leads to a story of how science and the acquisition of new knowledge does
not necessarily progress in a series of straightforward steps. This cautionary tale is
followed by an introduction that explains the purpose and content of this book, to
explain to the general public, politicians, managers and policy makers how our
coasts, important to us as places of not only inhabitation and vacation but also of
natural resources and industry, are in crisis, in large part due to human activities.
The human side of scientific research is emphasized and this book describes how
geologists try to understand the workings of our varied coastal systems and what the
future will bring for these beautiful and often wild parts of our planet.
Keywords Senegal · Sierra Leone · Late Precambrian · Shallow marine glacial
deposits · Aldanella · Geologic research · Modern coastal environments · Climate
change · Anthropogenic · Mitigating coastal hazards
A Cautionary Tale
Serendipity is a wonderful thing. It has certainly been a part of my research career.
I’m a paleontologist who specializes in the study of microfossils. But I have conducted research on other matters. My first job after graduating from university was
as a Lecturer (the British version of an Assistant Professor) at the University of
Sierra Leone in West Africa. I held that post from 1977 to 1978 and began a lifelong interest in the geology of West Africa. By 1984 I was teaching at Old Dominion
University in Virginia. That year I led a National Geographic Society-funded
S. J. Culver (*)
Department of Geological Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
e-mail: culvers@ecu.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_1
Chapter 1
A Cautionary Scientific Tale
and an Introduction to This Book
Stephen J. Culver
Abstract The unplanned collection of a small, nondescript rock in Senegal, west
Africa leads to a story of how science and the acquisition of new knowledge does
not necessarily progress in a series of straightforward steps. This cautionary tale is
followed by an introduction that explains the purpose and content of this book, to
explain to the general public, politicians, managers and policy makers how our
coasts, important to us as places of not only inhabitation and vacation but also of
natural resources and industry, are in crisis, in large part due to human activities.
The human side of scientific research is emphasized and this book describes how
geologists try to understand the workings of our varied coastal systems and what the
future will bring for these beautiful and often wild parts of our planet.
Keywords Senegal · Sierra Leone · Late Precambrian · Shallow marine glacial
deposits · Aldanella · Geologic research · Modern coastal environments · Climate
change · Anthropogenic · Mitigating coastal hazards
A Cautionary Tale
Serendipity is a wonderful thing. It has certainly been a part of my research career.
I’m a paleontologist who specializes in the study of microfossils. But I have conducted research on other matters. My first job after graduating from university was
as a Lecturer (the British version of an Assistant Professor) at the University of
Sierra Leone in West Africa. I held that post from 1977 to 1978 and began a lifelong interest in the geology of West Africa. By 1984 I was teaching at Old Dominion
University in Virginia. That year I led a National Geographic Society-funded
S. J. Culver (*)
Department of Geological Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
e-mail: culvers@ecu.edu