File:Coast watch (1979) (20472853468).jpg

Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_17 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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Rugged and energetic, Riggs has recorded erosion rates along North Carolina's 4,000 miles of estuarine shoreline for more than 30 years. To gather the data, he has trekked across soggy swamps, muddy marshes and hot, bare beaches. "Stan is unique," says David Mallinson, a former student of Riggs and ECU assistant geology professor. "He is so insightful and full of knowledge. He hasn't slowed down mentally or physically in 20 years." Last year, after Hurricane Isabel, Riggs and his research team measured the erosion rate of the sediment bluffs along the Chowan River. During the storm, a surge of up to eight feet occurred within large portions of North Carolina's estuarine system. Along the Chowan River, there were estimated 80 mph sustained winds and gusts up to 95 mph, according to Riggs. "After Hurricane Isabel passed over the Chowan River, there was up to 80 feet of shoreline recession along portions of Chowan River bluffs," he adds. New Sea Grant Book The bluff along the Chowan River is featured in the new North Carolina Sea Grant publication Drowning The North Carolina Coast: Sea-Level Rise and Estuarine Dynamics, written by Riggs and ECU Research Associate Dorothea V. Ames. The book builds upon Sea Grant's Sound- front Series: Shoreline Erosion in North Carolina Estuaries by Riggs. In the new book, the authors provide in-depth information about erosion processes and rates along North Carolina's northeastern estuarine shoreline. "We put the science of the estuarine sys- tem into a framework that could be understood by the public and coastal managers," says Riggs. "Our estuarine system is an incredible re- source that represents North Carolina's natural capital. We must manage this coastal system as a nonrenewable natural and extremely dynamic resource if we hope to preserve it both for the short- and long-term future utilization and development of the state." Riggs began tracking shoreline erosion rates for the state's coastal system in the 1970s funding from North Carolina Sea Grant. "This was a progressive idea for Sea Grant to fund such a study, prior to severe develop- ment pressure," says Riggs. "At the time, not many people were interested in erosion rates along estuarine shorelines." Since then, Riggs and his colleagues have gathered data on short- and long-term erosion rates along the state's estuarine shoreline. Recendy, they consolidated the data for the book that can be used as ready reference for property owners, coastal managers, govern- ment officials, community planners, resource managers and educators. "While much attention has been focused on the natural resources affecting the ocean shorelines, little has been directed to the forces acting on the estuarine shoreline, which is an equally vital resource," says Charles Jones, director of the N.C Division of Coastal Man- agement. "We are excited about the prospect of using Dr. Riggs' research to further our under- standing of these processes," adds Jones. "I feel it is in the Division of Coastal Management's interest to support studies and research in this area so that a better understanding can be applied in the development of coastal manage- ment and policies." Continued
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AFTER HURRICANE ISABEL PASSED OVER THE CHOWAN RIVER, UP TO 80 FEETOF Si SHORELINE RECEDED ALONG THE RIVER BLUFFS.

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