A volunteer-dependent program to monitor wetlands that is going into its second year may be the answer to gaps in wetland data across the state.
science
Microfossils major part of museum’s public science project
Coordinators of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences’ Cretaceous Creatures public science project aim to reach eighth grade classrooms in all 100 counties this coming school year.
Analysis finds wreck on Currituck Beach may be Metropolis
East Carolina University researcher Matthew Pawelski used computer modeling and imaging to make precise comparisons of wreckage and known details of a lost former Civil War naval vessel refitted commercial use.
Coastal Enhanced Weathering: A promising climate solution
UNCW professor Larry Cahoon writes that a nature-based climate restoration solution that his lab is collaborating on may eventually be able to capture a billion tons or more of carbon dioxide each year while reducing ocean acidity and helping to protect coastlines.
Buying out threatened oceanfront homes is not a crazy idea
Dr. Rob Young, director of the Western Carolina University/Duke University Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, compares the costs of a possible buyout of 80 highly exposed properties in Rodanthe to the costs of beach nourishment, which could be triple that amount over 15 years.
States greatly underestimate extreme heat hazards: Study
A recent Duke University analysis finds that state emergency management departments are underestimating the growing threat of excessive heat as the climate changes.
Flooding study reveals factors NOAA forecasts don’t include
Researchers with the Sunny Day Flooding Project used Beaufort’s Front Street as a case study to test a new, real-time sensor framework for detecting and measuring coastal flooding.
Research on migratory shorebirds a ‘massive effort’
Brian O’Shea, ornithology collection manager for N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, said the research network on long-distance migratory shorebirds, many of which we see on the N.C. coast, encompasses the entire Western Hemisphere.
‘Cutting edge of coastal science’: Institute marks 10th year
The Coastal Studies Institute chose Saturday, Earth Day, to celebrate a decade on the East Carolina University Outer Banks Campus with an open house.
Women mark STEM milestone at Corps research facility
Women comprise half the science and engineering staff at the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory at the Army Corps of Engineers’ Field Research Facility, or Duck Pier, which now features a lactation room.
Museum’s ‘Ask a Naturalist’ takes nature-based questions
The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences program connects anyone anywhere who has a question about nature with specialists who have the answers.
Groups fund NC butterfly conservation, coastal restoration
The National Science Foundation and Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announced six awards for conservation science and action on behalf of key species and ecosystems, including two North Carolina projects.
Climate change making allergy season longer, worse: Study
Bad news for the sniffly: A new report finds that as warmer temperatures increase the length of growing season, plants are releasing pollen and mold spores for a longer period of time.
Cape Fear Audubon seeks volunteers for NC Bird Atlas
Wildlife Resources officials will be in Wilmington March 14 to explain how to record field observations for the statewide North Carolina Bird Atlas.
Searching for Lawson in London’s Natural History Museum
Historian David Cecelski recounts his visit to the Natural History Museum in London, which holds the specimens of coastal North Carolina flora that John Lawson sent to English naturalist James Petiver in the early 1700s.
NC peat holds carbon market promise, but process complex
North Carolina’s 250,000 acres of privately owned peatland could be the ticket to tapping into the $2 billion voluntary carbon trading market, but the steps ahead are rigorous and expensive.
