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Safety Alert: Danger in the Air

Healthy Ecosystems

The coastal environment faces numerous threats from emerging contaminants, plastics and marine debris, other pollutants, climate change, and more.

image: plastic particles under microscope.

Jun 20, 2023

A River of Plastics

New research reveals the Neuse River Basin annually delivers an estimated 230 billion particles of plastic to the Pamlico Sound.
image: Hurricane Florence's eye.

Jun 3, 2023

Climate Resilience: Natural Landscapes and Flood Mitigation in New Bern

1996 marked an abrupt uptick in hurricane activity in coastal North Carolina, when tropical storm Arthur and hurricanes Bertha and Fran made landfall within a few months of each other. These storms caused billions of dollars in damage and significant loss of life. Since then, 38 tropical systems have impacted North Carolina.
image: dolphin jumps in an NC waterway.

Jun 2, 2023

Emerging Contaminants: PFAS in the Tidal Creeks of Southeastern North Carolina

Since the industrial revolution, the introduction of countless contaminants to the environment has led to a measurable chemical "pollution fingerprint" that is present in soil, water, air, and organisms.
image: Coastal brown bear sows and their cubs graze the salt marsh in Chinitna Bay, Alaska.

Jun 2, 2023

Vital Signs: Most of World’s Salt Marshes Likely Will Be Underwater by 2100

Sea Grant is among the funders on a 50-year study of salt marsh ecology that has concluded that more than 90% of the world's salt marshes could succumb to sea level rise by the end of the century.
image: J. Drew Lanham.

May 25, 2023

The Art of Being You: Ecology, Psychology, and the Art of Being You

Growing up on a family farm in Edgefield, South Carolina, Joseph Drew Lanham, “Drew,” to many, knew he wanted to be an ornithologist by the third grade. As a Black naturalist, writer, and MacArthur Fellow, Lanham chooses to combine science with blunt realities...
image: architectural design, Duffyfield neighborhood street view.

Apr 5, 2023

Resilience and Redevelopment in Duffyfield

After Hurricane Florence flooded an African American neighborhood with a long history of strength after adversity, a team of community leaders, researchers, and students has been working to restore housing and preserve community history.

Mar 28, 2023

Naturalist’s Notebook: Hurricanes, People, and Piping Plovers

A new study looked at the long-term mating habits of piping plovers before and after protective measures went into effect.

Mar 27, 2023

Science and Social Media: Twitter and Red Tides

Red Tides occur when there is an overgrowth of Algae in coastal waters that depletes oxygen levels and releases toxins, which can be harmful to human health and sea life.

Mar 27, 2023

How Much Ocean Floor Off the Southeast Coast Do Natural Reefs Occupy? 

Natural Reefs – often referred to more inclusively as “hard bottom” – are important habitat for Finfish, invertebrates, and other environmentally and economically important fauna. In fact, hard bottom is one of six types of habitat worthy of protection under the NC Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.
Boat

Mar 27, 2023

Safety Alert: Danger in the Air

Danger is in the air – and you can’t see or smell it. Many boaters already are aware of the importance of life jackets in avoiding tragedy, as well as how even small amounts of alcohol contribute to accidents on the water. But there’s also an invisible danger that can turn a boat outing deadly.