Presentation by Pr. Alex Kolker

The Global Coastal Ocean

Abstract:

The global coastal ocean is a center point in the relationship between people and climate. Nearly half of the world's population lives near the ocean. Many of the world's largest cities are coastal cities, including Tokyo, Lagos, London, Buenos Aires,and New York. The coastal zone plays a critical role in the global economy, and large parts of which rely on the exchange of goods that travel the world through coastal seaports. Numerous large industrial plants- including major energy facilities- are in the coastal zone too. Coastal areas are also important for global food systems. Fish that reside in the coastal zone are important to the diet of many people, and coastal river deltas are often highly productive agricultural zones. The coastal zone is also strikingly beautiful and holds critical parts of the planet's biodiversity.

And yet, coastal zones are also at risk from climate change. Rising global sea levels and strengthening coastal storms- fueled by climate change, coupled with multiple centuries of other human impacts make coastal regions vulnerable. This talk will provide case studies showing how coasts are responding to climate change. The talk will contrast two very coastal systems, the Mississippi River Delta in coastal Louisiana, and the coastal Maghreb, in North Africa. The former is a low relief, wet, subtropical delta while the latter is a high-relief, arid coast. The overlap between the underlying geology, ocean currents, global winds, and human activities influence the response of these systems to climate change. The talk will further examine how these interactions between the physical and human environments can aid the development of plans for coastal resilience- providing lessons for coastal communities across the world.

Zoom link:

https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/j/97343844222?pwd=VHPacUR2MmOx34lSC5VRdVv7iCTq7T.1