Rising Seas, Shifting Shores

Environmentalist Orrin Pilkey will discuss "Rising Seas, Shifting Shores: The Future of the World's Barrier Islands" on Thursday, Nov. 8, as part of the Ruth Pauley Lecture Series.
The lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. in Owens Auditorium on the Sandhills Community College campus in Pinehurst. Admission is free and open to the public, with no tickets required.

Pilkey is the James B. Duke Professor of Geology and director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) within the Division of Earth and Ocean Science at Duke University.

Pilkey received his bachelor's degree in geology at Washington State College, his master's degree in geology at the University of Montana, and his doctorate in geology at Florida State University.

From 1962 to 1965, he was an assistant research professor with the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, Ga. Since 1965, he has been at Duke University, with one-year breaks with the Department of Marine Science at the University of Puerto Rico and with the U.S. Geological Survey in Woods Hole, Mass.
His research career started with the study of shoreline/continental shelf sedimentation, progressing to the deep sea with emphasis on abyssal plain sediments and back to near shore with emphasis on coastal management. He has published more than 150 technical publications.

In 1987, he was awarded the Francis Shepherd Medal for Excellence in Marine Geology. He was the N.C. Wildlife Federation Conservation Educator of the Year in 1991. He became an honorary member of the Society for the Study of Sediments and was awarded the George V. Cohee Public Service Award by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in 1992.

Pilkey's research centers on both basic and applied coastal geology, focusing primarily on barrier island coasts. Off Wrightsville Beach, advantage is being taken of petrogeographically distinct beach replenishment sand to determine paths of sand transport on the shore face.

Another ongoing project involves a detailed study of the evolution of salt marshes along various shoreline types in Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. The goal is to understand how salt marshes in various geological settings will respond to future rise in sea level and how this impacts on management strategies for salt marshes.

His Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) group is currently exploring, from a geologic viewpoint, methods for mitigating hurricane damage on barrier islands. The PSDS is also analyzing the numerical models used by coastal geologists and engineers to predict the movement of beach sand, especially on beach replenishment projects.

The Ruth Pauley Lecture Series, in its 21st year, is sponsored by Sandhills Community College, the Moore County school system, the League of Woman Voters and the American Association of University Women. Past speakers have included Newt Gingrich, George McGovern, Jack Hannah, Patty Duke and Sandra Day O'Connor.

The next lecture in the series will be Feb. 6, when Timothy Tyson will discuss his book, "Blood Done Sign My Name."

For additional information, call 245-3132 after p.m.