Citizen science in shifting sands

April 28, 2020

Sea Grant volunteers in three states track our changing coasts

Story by: Tim Briggs, New Hampshire Sea Grant

In a changing climate, sea-level rise, storm surge and erosion all threaten our coasts’ sandy beaches. How can researchers hope to keep a finger on the pulse of the shifting sands? Across the Sea Grant network, volunteer citizen scientists from local communities are getting involved. Teams from New Hampshire, Maine and California Sea Grant programs brave sub-zero temperatures, gale force winds and packed tourist seasons to collect year-round beach profile data.

Beach profile volunteers survey the contour (or slope) of a beach, monitoring how beaches change over time. Long-term beach profile data are then used by scientists and resource managers to better understand beach dynamics and to make important decisions about beach management.

Read the full, interactive story about how Sea Grant volunteers are helping communities learn more about their valuable beaches and changing coastlines, here.

American Lobster

Sea Grant’s American Lobster Initiative awards $5.4 million to further innovative research and outreach in support of the lobster industry and fishing communities

Since 2019, Sea Grant’s American Lobster Initiative has addressed critical knowledge gaps about the American lobster and its fishery facing a dynamic and changing environment. The Initiative supports a regional extension program in the Northeast and a national research competition. Fifteen emerging research projects were selected in 2023 and 2024 for $4.6 million in federal funding by the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program. Coordinated by Maine Sea Grant since 2019, the Northeast lobster extension program was recently renewed with an $840,000 federal award that supports work through 2026.

Sea Grant announces $987, 361 to fund 2024 Young Fishermen’s Career Development projects

Sea Grant announces $987, 361 to fund 2024 Young Fishermen’s Career Development projects Today, NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office is pleased to announce the selection

Sea Grant welcomes 2025 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship finalists

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program is thrilled to announce the finalists for the 2025 class of the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. This year, for the first time in program history, all eligible Sea Grant programs are represented by a diverse cohort of 88 early-career professionals who will spend the next year working alongside federal agencies or legislative offices in Washington, D.C., applying their academic expertise to critical marine, coastal and Great Lakes policy issues.