The ongoing research into wetland damage and innovative restoration projects both in Currituck Sound and in the Florida everglades is the topic of this month’s “Science on the Sound” lecture series.
Set for 6 p.m. Thursday, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Sean Charles and Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary Director Robbie Fearn will lead the program, “Coastal Wetlands in a Changing World: Life, Loss and Restoration in Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary in Corolla and the Florida Everglades,” at the Coastal Studies Institute on the East Carolina University Outer Banks Campus in Wanchese.
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“Coastal wetlands provide vital habitat for economically and environmentally important species, enhance water quality, and play a crucial role in reducing the impacts of climate change,” according to a statement from the university. “Wetland plants and soils sequester carbon from the atmosphere more efficiently than any other ecosystem, fighting global and protecting coastal communities from rising seas and intensifying storms. However, storms, rising seas, and saltwater intrusion in combination with local human impacts also leads to wetland damage and loss.”
Charles is a postdoctoral researcher in the Coasts and Ocean Observing Laboratory at Coastal Studies Institute. His research has focused on plant-soil interactions in coastal ecosystems, restoration and disturbance ecology.
Fearn oversees conservation planning impacting the greater Currituck Sound region, construction and renovation of the 2,600-acre property for programming and research activities and engages the community in protecting the property.
The institute, often called by its acronym CSI, hosts the monthly, in-person, lecture series that highlights coastal topics in northeastern North Carolina. The presentations are free of charge, and all are welcome to attend. The program will also be live streamed and a recorded version will be available on the YouTube channel.
