Buried Secrets of the North Carolina Coast, USA

Abstract

The Outer Banks Barrier Islands of North Carolina, USA are beautiful and dynamic coastal features with a long and complicated human history and geological story. The hard work of numerous university faculty, agency scientists and students have uncovered the geological secrets of this region. Using geophysical devices that reveal the underpinnings of the islands and estuaries, and collecting sediments and fossils to understand changes to the environments, we can see how the islands and estuaries responded to climate conditions and storm patterns in the past. Those past responses are informing us of what might be expected in the future given projected climate and sea-level changes. This is the story of the work that has been done to reveal the secrets of this coast.