Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction

Sea Level Research Laboratory

Recently, interest in the relationship between climate and sea level change has grown with the realization that human-induced global warming may accelerate the rate of sea-level rise. Since 50% of the global population currently occupies coastal zones, the socio-economic and environmental effects of global sea-level rise are far reaching.

This laboratory aims to establish a new generation of detailed sea-level and environmental reconstructions to bridge the gap between short-term instrumental records and long-term, traditional geological reconstructions or modeling predictions. The work will result in new, innovative techniques and fundamental new knowledge regarding the driving mechanisms that influence land-ocean interactions, which is of pertinent interest to earth and marine scientists alike. The strong applied component will be directly relevant to a broad audience of coastal managers, engineers and policy-makers concerned with coastal forecasting and future sea-level and climate change and earthquake histories.

To accomplish this research, we have a broad range of both field and laboratory equipment. Mineral analyses are performed using a Carlo Erba elemental analyzer, Technicon autoanalyzer or a Perkin-Elmer ion-coupled plasma spectrograph, as well as an x-ray diffractometer; isotopic analysis is accomplished with a Delta mass spectrometer equipped with an elemental analyzer and a gas chromatograph.

Current Research

Coastal Evolution

Much of this research addresses land-sea interactions in barrier islands, estuaries and deltas. We use a wide range of field and analytical methods to reconstruct coastal evolution over past millennia. The studies, such as a current investigation of the Outer Banks, NC, improve understanding of how barrier islands responded to changes in relative sea level (heavily influenced by glacio-isostatic land uplift and subsidence), climate, sediment supply, geomorphology, tides and currents.

Earthquake Hazards

This applied aspect of sea-level research utilises theory and methods of analysis developed during research in non-seismic locations to quantify relative land and sea-level changes resulting from great earthquakes caused by inter-plate movements along segments of subduction zones. We have on-going projects in Washington, Oregon, Japan and Indonesia. In particular we have NSF support to examine the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26th December 2004. Future earthquake forecasting and reduction of losses require understanding the history of great earthquakes, including their frequency and how patterns of land movement vary during different earthquakes.

Human Impacts and Hazards

This is an area of applied research of the Laboratory, ranging from hazards to human impacts on environment, targeting large low-lying coastal areas, often densely populated, in both developed and developing countries. Many of our projects analyze historical and modern records of storms, floods and tsunamis, whilst other projects, such as the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, examine the ecosystem history of plant communities though periods of anthropogenic and natural alterations.

Late Quaternary Sea-Level and Environmental Change

Our research in this area develops and applies a wide range of palaeo-environmental reconstruction methods (field, laboratory, microfossil, isotopic, experimental and analytical techniques) to understand earth – ice sheet – ocean – sea level – climate interactions since the Last Glacial Maximum. Recent projects include field locations in Australia, Indonesia, Ireland, North America, the Persian Gulf, Thailand and the United Kingdom.