About this episode

This episode explores how scientists and volunteers track the changing shape of New Hampshire's sandy shores through beach profiling.

From major storms to daily tides, the sandy shores of New Hampshire are constantly moving — gaining sand in some places and losing it in others. But how do scientists and volunteers actually track those changes over time? In this episode of Time and Tide, we dig into the world of beach profiling — a simple yet powerful method that measures the contour of the shoreline month after month to reveal patterns of erosion and accretion along our coast. By taking regular measurements of beach elevation and slope, the NH Volunteer Beach Profile Monitoring Program contributes to long-term coastal monitoring efforts that inform local decision-making, coastal resilience planning, and scientific research. Learn how citizen scientists — also referred to as participatory scientists — use two measuring poles to collect this important data, while researchers interpret the meaning of this for your favorite New Hampshire beaches. What better way to explain beach profiling, than to take you for a walk along the beach in Seabrook, NH, where a small group of researchers and volunteer citizen scientists meet on a windy winter day to measure the beach. Guest Speakers : Alyson Eberhardt, Ph.D., Coastal…

People in this episode

Guests: Alyson Eberhardt, Ph.D., Larry Ward, Ph.D., Wells Costello, Rachel Morrison

Topics covered

• beach profiling
• coastal monitoring
• citizen science
• erosion
• accretion
• environmental science

Keywords

• beach profiling
• coastal resilience
• shoreline changes
• citizen scientists
• New Hampshire beaches

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New Hampshire Sea Grant, UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Places: New Hampshire, Seabrook, NH

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