Oceanographic & Coastal Processes
Research Focus AeaResearch Focus Area Overview
The coastal ocean, from the estuarine shoreline to the edge of the continental rise, is perhaps the most important and yet vulnerable areas of the world’s oceans. The chemical, physical, and biological processes that affect these coastal seas are intertwined and complex. Our researchers use interdisciplinary approaches, modeling and empirical, to obtain a quantitative understanding of these processes.

Research Labs

Marine Geochemistry & Coastal Dynamics
Lab

Oceanography & Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Ocean Lab

Coastal Engineering & Adaptation
Lab

Coastal Marine Processes & Geomorphology Lab

Ecology & Biogeochemistry
in Marine & Coastal
Systems Lab

Coasts & Oceans Observing
Lab
News
Dr. Eric Wade: A Social Scientist With Stories To Tell
What does a social scientist do? Depending on who one asks, the answers will vary. However, according to Dr. Eric Wade, an Assistant Scientist at CSI and ECU Department of Coastal Studies Assistant Professor, a social scientist might choose to study all sorts of...
CoastLines Spring 2023 Available Now
We are proud to announce the Spring 2023 issue of the ECU Integrated Coastal Programs Newsletter, CoastLines. Stay up to date on the research, education, and outreach programs of ECU ICP and the Coastal Studies Institute.In This Issue Corbett’s CornerStudent Section A...
North Carolina Renewable Energy Challenge Recap
Currents circulating. Wind blowing. These were both simulated at the 2023 North Carolina Renewable Energy Challenge held at the Coastal Studies Institute in early April. Each spring, CSI, in partnership with Jennette’s Pier and KidWind, hosts the annual event in hopes...
Integrated Coastal Sciences Ph.D. Candidate Receives Prestigious Award
Allyson Ropp, a Ph.D. candidate in the Integrated Coastal Sciences Ph.D. Program, has been named to NOAA’s Dr. Nancy Foster Scholars Class of 2023. This multi-year award will support her doctoral education and dissertation research. Allyson’s research aims to...
A Semester Experience. A Lifelong Memory.
Not many students can say they are gaining hands-on experience, learning interdisciplinary skills, making lifelong friends, and studying all while at the beach. Yet at the Coastal Studies Institute on East Carolina University’s Outer Banks Campus, ECU students from...
June 14 Science on the Sound to Highlight Red Wolves
The June 2023 installment of the "Science on the Sound" Lecture Series will be held at 6 pm on June 14 at the Coastal Studies Institute on the ECU Outer Banks Campus. This monthly, in-person, lecture series brings perspectives from all over the state and highlights...
Integrated Coastal Programs Announces 2023-2024 Scholarship Recipients
ECU Integrated Coastal Programs (ICP) is pleased to announce three student scholar awards for the 2023-2024 academic year. Allyson Ropp received the first-ever Anja Sjostrom Memorial Scholarship in Coastal Studies, an award that was established in January 2022 after...
CSI Open House Set for Earth Day, April 22
Celebrate 10 years on the ECU Outer Banks Campus with us at our 2023 Open House! Spend Earth Day, April 22nd learning about coastal and marine science research and education programs at ECU and the Coastal Studies Institute.East Carolina University’s Integrated...
Public Lecture to Highlight Pioneer Array on April 20
The April 2023 installment of the "Science on the Sound" Lecture Series will be held at 6 pm on April 20 at the Coastal Studies Institute on the ECU Outer Banks Campus. This monthly, in-person, lecture series brings perspectives from all over the state and highlights...
Celebrating 10 Years on the Croatan Sound
Ten years ago this winter, the staff and faculty of the Coastal Studies Institute got a brand-new view. Long before the property was known as the ECU Outer Banks Campus, the 230-acre coastal site was slotted to have multiple single-family homes and a surrounding...