Urgency and Opportunity
Living shorelines are soft coastal buffers that reduce wave action before the shore, preventing erosion and property damage. Nature based solutions to traditional coastal defense structures are increasing in prevalence as they are more effective than bulkheads in mitigating severe storm damage while simultaneously providing ecosystem services such as creating nursery habitats, which result in healthier local fisheries, carbon sequestration, and recreational opportunities.
Innovative Direction
Nicholas School of the Environment faculty are leading a global effort to test how intentionally including positive feedback loops generated by species into restoration can lead to drastic, and no cost increases in restoration efficiency. Duke Restore will provide a larger platform for integration of these findings across all the world’s ecosystems to maximize ecological and social restoration outcomes. The Silliman Lab installed and is continuing to monitor the performance of a 1000+ meter living shoreline at the Cherry Point Air Station.
Our Team
Faculty Advisor
1st Year Lead
2nd Year Lead
Our Goals
The Living Shorelines Team is interested in alternatives to traditional coastal defense structures. This year, the team will focus on:
- Monitoring living shorelines at Cherry Point Air Station.
- Evaluating living shoreline performance metrics used by North Carolina organizations.
- Creating interactive maps of North Carolina detailing completed living shoreline projects, predicted installation efficacy, and design attributes, including material content.
Activities
Our team has enjoyed field trips to Beaufort, North Carolina, where we analyzed oyster survivorship and visited the Cherry Point Living Shoreline. This is the first full year of monitoring since this living shoreline’s sill was installed. During this period, the team has continued tracking geomorphic change, water quality indicators, vegetation coverage, and species richness. Preliminary analysis confirms that the sill is functioning properly to reduce wave action and capture sediment. Interestingly, blue crab abundance tripled following the installation of the sill!
Research Spotlight- Tiffany Paalman!
I’m Tiffany Paalman, a Ph.D. student in the Silliman lab. I’m interested in the relative effects of predators and habitat structure on influence foundation species recovery and function. By examining the roles of species interactions and environmental factors in influencing ecological processes in coastal ecosystems, I aim to inform future conservation, restoration, and management practices. Investigating the ecological impacts and structural development of living shorelines allows me the innovative opportunity to study how coastal species adapt to restoration efforts.
More resources
- The Living Shorelines Academy
- Visit our Publications page