New research that found the Earth has 657 more barrier islands than previously known has a Meredith College connection.

 

Matthew Stutz, Meredith College assistant professor of geosciences since 2007, conducted this global survey with Orrin H. Pilkey, Duke University James B. Duke professor. The research, which was part of Stutz’s dissertation at Duke University, appears in the current issue of the Journal of Coastal Research.

 

The project is “a one-time snapshot of the world’s barrier islands,” Stutz said. “Islands break up and move. These images don’t tell you the history of the barrier islands – that is the piece that is missing.”

 

Stutz said the study is significant because barrier islands are important economically and environmentally.

 

His study, which took several years to complete, shows that barrier islands are found in virtually every geographic area on earth. Most of the islands identified are inhabited and most are more than 1000 years old, but haven’t been scientifically studied because they are in remote areas.

 

“I often felt adventurous, scanning every inch of shoreline seemed kind of exotic and interesting,” Stutz said.

 

Improved access to satellite imagery made the project possible. “All earlier coastal classifications had been done using much less accurate tools,” Stutz said. “Satellite images now available allowed us to make much more precise identification.”

 

The next step in this research is to try to identify what factors can be used to predict where barrier islands are vulnerable.

 

“We know that islands have disappeared in the past,” Stutz said. “Each setting is different, and they won’t all react in the same way. We want to know what will happen, and what happened in the past is not necessarily predictive of what will happen in the future.”

 

The research has gained media coverage in news outlets around the world, including The New York Times, NPR, Discovery, The Christian Science Monitor and MSNBC.com.

 

For more information, visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419151451.htm

In this Issue:

Strategic Planning Update
Commencement Weekend 2011 Schedule
Meredith Faculty Member Helps Discover New Barrier Islands
Internal Communication Survey
Meredith Alumna Beth Leavel Earns Tony Nomination
Faculty/Staff Accomplishments
Upcoming Events
News Briefs

 

Have you presented research or attended a professional meeting recently? Has your department earned an award? Share news of these accomplishments and more with the Meredith community. Faculty and staff are invited to email items to Melyssa Allen, “Campus Connections” editor, at allenme@meredith.edu.