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
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...
Next Science on the Sound Lecture Set for March 30
Dr. Sean Charles measures a mangrove trunk during a recent field campaign in the Everglades.The March 2023 installment of the "Science on the Sound" Lecture Series will be held at 6 pm on March 30 at the Coastal Studies Institute on the ECU Outer Banks Campus. This...
A Newly Developed Coaxial Turbine May Someday Make the Energy World Go ‘Round
Based at the Coastal Studies Institute, the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program (NCROEP) seeks to use renewable ocean energy wisely and effectively while contributing to North Carolina’s Blue Economy. As a result, NCROEP helps to support interdisciplinary...
Student Research Reaches to Far Corners of North America
The ECU Integrated Coastal Sciences (ICS) Ph.D. program, formerly known as Coastal Resources Management (CRM) until 2018, brings together some of the best and brightest upcoming interdisciplinary coastal scientists. With so many varying interests, personalities, and...
Monitoring our Shifting Shorelines to Improve Coastal Resiliency
As changing climates continue to increase coastal hazards such as sea level rise, large storm events, flooding, and erosion, it is ever more important for communities such as those found along the Outer Banks to heighten their resiliency. But what exactly does that...
Ocean Observing Array Coming Soon to NC
Waters off the coast of Cape Hatteras will soon become the new home of the Ocean Observatories Initiative’s Coastal Pioneer Array, a relocatable ocean observing system designed to be deployed for extended periods of time to collect ocean data. Earlier this week...
CoastLines Winter 2023 Available Now
We are proud to announce the Winter 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 CornerSpecial Feature...