Western Carolina University

5 Misconceptions About Sea-Level Rise
April 2012: Commentary about sea-level rise written by six NC coastal scientists, including PSDS Director Rob Young.

NC Lifeline Built on Shifting Sands
March 2012: NY Times Article by Cornelia Dean: "They can engineer that bridge so well that it can withstand a Category 3 or 4 hurricane," Dr. Young said in a telephone interview. "The barrier island it is connected to cannot."

Living Shorelines White Paper
Revetments and other hard structures used in an increasing number of "Living Shorelines" may be no better for the environment than the ecologically harmful bulkheads they were designed to replace.

Isles Bay Beach, Montserrat 
Check out the latest "Beach of the Month" article written by our own Katie Peek and Rob Young on Coastalcare.org

To save a beach, they may ruin it  by Rob Young
Tallahassee Democrat Article: In my opinion, he gave license to Okaloosa County to kill the goose that laid the golden egg — the "sugar sand" beach. One wonders why the county would want to do this? The beach on Okaloosa Island is already wide, with a formidable dune in most locations. There is a lot of money to be made selling beach nourishment projects, and some folks seem to think that if you have a chance to pump some sand, well, you just ought to.

Smithsonian: Preparing for a New River
Smithosonian article about the Elwha Dam Removal Project featuring PSDS Director Rob Young. "Now the two antique dams are being dismantled—the largest and most ambitious undertaking of its kind in U.S. history."

Storm Surge Database
The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines is using relational tools and geographic information systems (GIS) to build a national storm surge database beginning with the state of North Carolina as a prototype. 

Sea Level Rise
Beaufort County, SC ranks third in the US in area of wetlands threatened by sea level rise. Through a partnership with Beaufort County and PSDS, the areas most susceptible to sea level rise are being mapped in order to help inform residents and local policy makers of the problems associated with sea level rise.

Rivercane Restoration
Rivercane is a bamboo native to the United States that has been used for millennia for basketry and other purposes by Native American tribes such as the Choctaw and Cherokee. Recent revitalization of traditional arts and crafts in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian (EBCI) has prompted a major research effort at Western Carolina University through the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines.

ELWHA Dam Removal
Dr. Rob Young, Director of Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, received a $1.5 M grant from the National Science Foundation in 2007 to bring youth and science together in studying the effects of the dam removal.