The battle for North Carolina's coast : evolutionary history, present crisis, and vision for the future / Stanley R. Riggs [and others].

Other author Riggs, Stanley R.
Format Electronic
Publication InfoChapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, ©2011.
Description1 online resource (xvi, 142 pages) : color illustrations
Supplemental ContentEBSCOhost
Subjects

Contents Why is there a coastal conflict? -- North Carolina's coastal system -- The ice ages and postglacial sea-level rise -- Storms and coastal systems -- The modern ocean shoreline system -- Formation of the modern coastal system -- What is at risk? -- Human modification of barrier island dynamics -- Adaptation to coastal change -- Concluding thoughts.
Abstract The North Carolina barrier islands, a 325-mile-long string of narrow sand islands that forms the coast of North Carolina, are one of the most beloved areas to live and visit in the United States. However, extensive barrier island segments and their associated wetlands are in jeopardy. In The Battle for North Carolina's Coast, four experts on coastal dynamics examine issues that threaten this national treasure. According to the authors, the North Carolina barrier islands are not permanent. Rather, they are highly mobile piles of sand that are impacted by sea-level rise and major storms and hurricanes. Our present development and management policies for these changing islands are in direct conflict with their natural dynamics. Revealing the urgency of the environmental and economic problems facing coastal North Carolina, this essential book offers a hopeful vision for the coast's future if we are willing to adapt to the barriers' ongoing and natural processes. This will require a radical change in our thinking about development and new approaches to the way we visit and use the coast. Ultimately, we cannot afford to lose these unique and valuable islands of opportunity. This book is an urgent call to protect our coastal resources and preserve our coastal economy.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in other formPrint version: Battle for North Carolina's coast. Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, ©2011
Genre/formElectronic books.
LCCN 2011000072
ISBN9780807878071 (electronic bk.)
ISBN0807878073 (electronic bk.)
ISBN0807834866
ISBN9780807834862

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Electronic Resources Access Content Online ✔ Available