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Using modeling techniques, students discover how coastal dunes form and how they can protect coastal areas from erosion and flooding during storms and harsh weather events. Students will make predictions and observations, then come to their own conclusions about the importance of dunes and how they can make coastal areas more resilient against storms.
In this activity students will build a model of a salt marsh and the land surrounding it out of clay. Students will use this model to see what happens to salt marshes when the sea level rises and how the slope of the land and the location affect the marshes survival.
With funding from the EPA, Sea Grant partners with the City of Seattle among others to offer an incentive and certification credit system developed for single family homes. The goal of this voluntary program is to develop shoreline sustainably, using green vs. grey infrastructure whenever possible
Dam removal on the Elwha delta has led to a massive flux of sediment to the coastal zone, leading to what is in effect the largest beach nourishment experiment ever in Washington State. Washington Sea Grant, in collaboration with the US Geological Survey, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and others, is investigating the fate of that sediment and particularly how it acts to re-nourish eroding beaches. The results can be applied to problems associated with beach erosion due to climate change and sea level rise.
In Puget Sound, shoreline armoring is being removed or is being replaced with what are thought to be less disruptive alternatives. Restoring physical and biological connections in the nearshore where structures are not at risk is expected to improve habitat conditions and reduce long-term costs for homeowners. By establishing volunteer monitoring of these sites, Washington Sea Grant has helped create a baseline for erosion and vegetation that can be used to inform other projects and shoreline management decisions in the near-term and provide a long-term reference as climate change and sea level rise influence conditions in the nearshore.
Beach profiling is a simple surveying technique used to measure changes in the contour of the monitored beach. The Southern Maine Volunteer Beach Profile Monitoring Program is a unique collaboration among local volunteers, participating municipalities, and scientists, resulting in 15 years of critical data on the status of one of Maine's most vital and valuable natural resources.
To help reduce Delaware communities’ vulnerability to coastal hazards, the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, University of Delaware’s Coastal Community Enhancement Initiative, and Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control have cooperated with the Delaware Emergency Management Agency to increase awareness of coastal hazards and provide communities information and resources that will improve societal, economic and personal resiliency to coastal hazards.