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North Carolina Sea Grant
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image: Coastwatch Spring 2024 cover.

Spring 2024

INSIDE THE SPRING 2024 ISSUE…

mountains and a glacier

Ice to Ocean

As glaciers melt and seas rise, new findings about ground elevations at the coast confirm that the battle between land and sea has become increasingly one-sided — and that an ecological transformation of coastal NC has begun.
image: blue land crab emerging from hole.

What’s the Deal with that Big Blue Crab on the Beach?

A new species has arrived in North Carolina — and you might even find one in your garage.
image: Surf City aerial view.

Can Fish Bones Protect Us from the Sun?

Researchers investigate a sustainable alternative to harmful UV filters in sunscreens.
image: graphic of a magnifying glass over water with bubbles that say "PFAS".

Emerging Contaminants: Mystery in the Cape Fear

New testing reveals eight previously unrecorded forms of PFAS

Are Fishing and Boating Regulations Protecting Endangered Whales?

The North Atlantic right whale is a critically endangered species, with fewer than 400 estimated alive today. Two leading causes of right whale mortality are fishing gear and vessels.
image: flooded residential street at sunset.

Sunny with a Chance of Floods

When people see photos of Carolina Beach’s flooded Canal Drive, they might assume those waters lapping against the doorways of a residential neighborhood mean the area had just experienced a severe storm or hurricane. Locals know, however, it is just as likely the deluge was not related to a storm at all but rather an example of “nuisance” flooding.
image: bow of a sailboat heads towards a cloudy horizon.

The Straits by Skipjack

From the short dock along Lida Pigott’s cut in Gloucester off the north side of The Straits, on as blustery a Sunday summer afternoon as one might want, the 28-foot skipjack Natty Lou headed out, her mainsail reefed.
image: parasitic worm and lobster eggs.

Creature Feature: Conan O’Brien Worms, Sea Dragons, and Ocean Aliens

Recent research from the Caribbean to the U.K. to Antarctica proves the ocean contains no shortage of curiosities.
image: factory smokestacks release smoke into the air during sunset.

Vital Signs: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Hit Highest Levels

50 Leading Scientists on “Unprecedented” Human-Caused Global Warming
image: aerial view of a living shoreline.

The Guide to Coastal Living

The Guide to Coastal Living provides North Carolinians with quick information about how to address coastal hazards and how to live in a coastal environment. The series launches with this look at living shorelines — a strategy that provides invaluable benefits to our communities and coast.
image: rip currents safety poster.

The Rip Currents Safety Poster

Share this poster. Print it out and put it up — and save a life.
image: offshore wind turbines in front of a sunset.

Hook, Line & Science

Fishing at Wind Farms, Live Imaging Sonar, and More…
image: Hurricane Florence.

Warming Waters

50-year Trend in Atlantic Hurricane Escalation

New research shows changes to Atlantic hurricanes over the past 50 years, with storms developing and strengthening faster…

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image: tidal marsh.

Coastwatch Classroom

The Impact of Sea Level Rise on Tidal Marshes

This lesson plan for high school students includes an interactive slideshow, map, worksheets, and more…

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image: crab and shrimp salad on lettuce bed.

Mariner’s Menu

Crab and Shrimp Salad, Fresh Deviled Clams, Broiled Soft Crabs with Basil-Butter Sauce, and Baked Grouper Fillets with Mushrooms…

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image: researchers at unearth evidence of ancient oyster fisheries.

Ancient Oyster Fisheries

A Sneak Peek at the Summer 2024 issue

Indigenous peoples sustained massive oyster fisheries for 5,000 to 10,000 years — or longer…

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