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ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5420-4768

Access Type

Campus-Only Access for Five (5) Years

Document Type

thesis

Degree Program

Geosciences

Degree Type

Master of Science (M.S.)

Year Degree Awarded

2019

Month Degree Awarded

September

Abstract

In order to improve our understanding of present and future coastal environmental change, we look into the past using sediment that accumulates in coastal environments. We have done this for two disparate systems: a back-barrier lagoon in southwestern Japan, and freshwater tidal marshes along the Hudson River, New York, USA. In Japan, we used a 2,500-year sediment record to investigate coastal flood risk from tsunamis and typhoons. This is a critical area of study to better understand the spatial and temporal variability of these hazards in Japan. In the Hudson River we looked at modern (since 1800) deposition of sediment in anthropogenically constructed embayments that have formed tidal wetlands in the last few centuries. A better understanding of the factors that have attributed to these successful tidal marsh systems in the past can help inform future management decisions in the face of future sea level rise. Studying the history of coastal systems using the sediment record is a valuable tool for assessing hazard risk and habitat loss in the present and future.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/15208588

First Advisor

Jonathan D. Woouff

Second Advisor

Brian Yellen

Third Advisor

Timothy L. Cook

Fourth Advisor

Jeffrey Salacup

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