The addition of new sediment helps build up lowland environments like deltas and marshes, but it also compacts materials beneath it—a vital, but often overlooked, factor in landscape evolution studies.
beaches, coasts, & shorelines
Posted inNews
Can These Rocks Help Rein in Climate Change?
Spreading olivine on beaches could accelerate ocean uptake of carbon dioxide and potentially limit climate change. The concept and execution still face some scrutiny from scientists.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Bank Retreat Controls River and Estuary Morphodynamics
Understanding and predicting the geomorphological response of fluvial and tidal channels to bank retreat underpins the robust management of water courses and the protection of wetlands.
Posted inFeatures
Harmful Algal Blooms: No Good, Just the Bad and the Ugly
Natural and human factors are leading to larger, more frequent, and longer-lasting algae blooms. Recent research is increasingly revealing the scope of the problem and informing potential responses.
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Estimating Land Loss in River Deltas
Some deltas are susceptible to land loss during sea level rise, whereas others gain land because of changes in the courses of rivers.
Posted inFeatures
Seeing Through Turbulence to Track Oil Spills in the Ocean
After oil and tar washed up on eastern Mediterranean beaches in 2021, scientists devised a way to trace the pollution back to its sources using satellite imagery and mathematics.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Shapes of Shrimp Farms Affect Their Groundwater Pollution
New findings may help decisionmakers optimize shrimp farm layouts, which could help improve coastal water quality.
Posted inNews
Seashells and Penguin Bones Reveal Thwaites Glacier’s Quiet Past
Antarctica’s Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers are melting faster than they have in the past 5,500 years, new evidence shows. Against expectations, their pasts have been remarkably stable.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Landfalling Hurricanes Intensify Due to Coastal Downwelling
Hurricane winds can lead to coast downwelling, which brings warmer surface water near the coast and can contribute to the intensification of the landfalling hurricane.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Atmospheric Rivers Help Coastal Wetlands Build Up Sediment
Accounting for these storms and flooding can help experts predict and respond to rising sea levels.