Section for Coastal & Ocean Processes
Connecting global trends and local drivers to understand and address environmental change.
The Section for Coastal & Ocean Processes seeks to understand the fundamental processes that shape coastal and marine environments. We investigate the physical, geological, chemical, and biological mechanisms that connect watersheds to the open ocean, and the ecosystems in between. Our research extends from the Chesapeake Bay to coastal regions around the world, including both the Arctic and Antarctic oceans. By connecting global trends and local drivers, our research and teaching addresses critical challenges including sea-level rise, coastal flooding and shoreline erosion, hypoxia and acidification, changing ocean circulation and sediment transport, intensifying carbon and nutrient cycles, and shifting ecosystems. By revealing the mechanisms that drive these changes, we develop knowledge that can be applied across the world to better predict the future of coastal and ocean environments.
Matthew L. Kirwan, Section Chair
Matt Kirwan studies the impact of sea level rise on coastal ecosystems and their carbon pools. His research connects principles of geomorphology and ecology, and takes place largely in the marshes, forests, swamps, and rural communities that surround the Chesapeake Bay. Kirwan is a longtime consultant on activities surrounding the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, and a regular contributor to popular media coverage of coastal hazards. He resides with his wife and two children on Hell Neck in Gloucester, VA and is an enrolled member of the Nause Waiwash Band of Indians on his family’s native Eastern Shore.