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Tomorrow's Coasts: Complex and Impermanent

  • Provides a rigorously referenced and up-to-date but non-technical synthesis of current understandings of coastal environmental processes and how they are predicted to change in the future
  • Weaves together natural science and social science dimensions
  • Provides non-scientists, including the lay public, politicians and decision makers with a convincing and comprehensive appreciation of what the future may hold for coastal dwellers and how we might prepare for the coming changes

Part of the book series: Coastal Research Library (COASTALRL, volume 27)

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Table of contents (21 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxxi
  2. Understanding Coastal Systems and Global Change

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Coastal Complexity and Predictions of Change

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, J. P. M. Syvitski, C. Reid Nichols
      Pages 3-23
    3. Global Change: More Than Climate

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, J. P. M. Syvitski, C. Reid Nichols
      Pages 25-46
    4. Sea Level Rise: Recent Trends and Future Projections

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, J. P. M. Syvitski, C. Reid Nichols
      Pages 47-57
    5. Complex Intersections of Seas, Lands, Rivers and People

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, J. P. M. Syvitski, C. Reid Nichols
      Pages 59-68
    6. Coastal Morphodynamics and Ecosystem Dynamics

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, J. P. M. Syvitski, C. Reid Nichols, Julie Zinnert
      Pages 69-84
    7. Coastal Systems in the Anthropocene

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, J. P. M. Syvitski, C. Reid Nichols
      Pages 85-99
  3. Causal Processes, Their Consequences and Their Mitigation

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 101-101
    2. Causes and Impacts of Coastal Inundation

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, Donald T. Resio, C. Reid Nichols
      Pages 103-118
    3. Degradation of Coastal Ecosystems: Causes, Impacts and Mitigation Efforts

      • C. Reid Nichols, Julie Zinnert, Donald R. Young
      Pages 119-136
    4. Coastal Erosion and Land Loss: Causes and Impacts

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, Wei Wu, James Morris
      Pages 137-150
    5. Impacts of Coastal Waters and Flooding on Human Health

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, Christopher F. D’Elia, C. Reid Nichols
      Pages 151-166
    6. Natural Infrastructure to Mitigate Inundation and Coastal Degradation

      • J. Livingston, N. Woiwode, M. Bortman, S. McAfee, K. McLeod, S. Newkirk et al.
      Pages 167-189
  4. Case Studies of Threatened and Vulnerable Coasts

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 191-191
    2. Pearl River Delta and Guangzhou (Canton) China

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, Wei Wu
      Pages 193-205
    3. Coastal Louisiana

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, Christopher F. D’Elia
      Pages 207-220
    4. Florida

      • Lynn Donelson Wright, C. Reid Nichols, Gary Zarillo
      Pages 221-239
    5. Mid Atlantic Bight and Chesapeake Bay

      • C. Reid Nichols, Gary Zarillo, Christopher F. D’Elia
      Pages 241-259
    6. The Alaskan Arctic Coast

      • Lynn Donelson Wright
      Pages 261-273

About this book

This book is intended as a conceptual roadmap to show how some of the numerous pieces of complex coastal systems intersect and might interact under changing future environmental regimes. It is addressed to a non-technical but environmentally literate audience that includes the lay public, policy makers, planners, engineers and academics interested in the causes and consequences of global changes as they are likely to affect coastal systems. The book also outlines some strategies for anticipating and responding to the challenges that lie ahead.

The purpose is not to offer a technical treatise on how to build better numerical models or to provide the cognoscenti with new scientific details or theories. Quite on the contrary the authors aim to provide a holistic, easy-accessible overview of coastal systems and therefore use a writing style that is non-technical, nonmathematical and non-jargonized throughout. Wherever scientificterms are required to avoid ambiguity, a clear and simple definition is presented and those definitions are repeated in the glossary. The authors aim to communicate with all who care about the future of coastal environments.

In Part 1, they present some underlying general “big picture” concepts that are applicable to coastal processes and coastal change worldwide. Part 2 reviews some of the more important physical, ecological and societal causes and outcomes of coastal change. A selection of case studies of some prominent and highly vulnerable coastal regions is presented in Part 3. Some strategies for facilitating and supporting collaboration among the global scientific community to enhance future coastal resilience are outlined in Part 4.




Reviews

“Tomorrow's Coasts is a sensational and timely collection of papers about what lies ahead for humankind in the very near Future. … Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty and professionals.” (P. R. Pinet, Choice, Vol. 56 (7), March, 2019)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA), Washington, DC, USA

    Lynn Donelson Wright

  • Marine Information Resources Corporation (MIRC), Ellicott City, USA

    C. Reid Nichols

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Tomorrow's Coasts: Complex and Impermanent

  • Editors: Lynn Donelson Wright, C. Reid Nichols

  • Series Title: Coastal Research Library

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75453-6

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental Science, Earth and Environmental Science (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-75452-9Published: 04 July 2018

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-09235-1Published: 14 December 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-75453-6Published: 15 June 2018

  • Series ISSN: 2211-0577

  • Series E-ISSN: 2211-0585

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXXI, 374

  • Number of Illustrations: 8 b/w illustrations, 115 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Coastal Sciences, Climate Change, Nature Conservation

Buy it now

Buying options

Softcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access