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Summer 2023
image: Coastal brown bear sows and their cubs graze the salt marsh in Chinitna Bay, Alaska.

Summer 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.

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More From Summer 2023

image: Okracoke Island is shown with a mounted sign that reads: "Stop. No one allowed beyond this point."

From Portsmouth to Aurora

As impacts from climate change heighten, our state finds new strategies for new challenges.
image: J. Drew Lanham.

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: The view from Hatteras Lighthouse with the sky and landscape in background to show the stretch off Hatteras.

Out at Hatteras: With Cap’n Ernie Foster and Albatross I

A day’s journey on the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” loosens stories of lost ships — while aboard an 85-year-old vessel the U.S. Navy once tried to keep from its owner.
image: plastic particles under microscope.

A River of Plastics

New research reveals the Neuse River Basin annually delivers an estimated 230 billion particles of plastic to the Pamlico Sound.
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Naturalist’s Notebook: Who Wants to See a 30-Foot Jellyfish?

Cruise line passengers on side excursions in deep-sea submersibles can contribute to science — and they might just enjoy the rarest of encounters.
image: Hurricane Florence's eye.

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.

Hook, Line & Science

Sonar imaging revealed when different-sized fish visit oyster reefs. 
image: dolphin jumps in an NC waterway.

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: Baseball star Babe Ruth with a bat in his hand at a baseball game.

Climate and Society: Hot Air and Home Runs

Does global warming mean more big hits?
image: shrimp on skewers on a plate with tomatoes and corn.

Mariner’s Menu: Summertime Specials

Enjoy these summertime specials — and check fish markets around a full moon for fresh soft shell crabs. 
back cover of the Summer 2023 issue of Coastwatch, thanking donors and featuring a piping plover.

The Back Cover