In_CoaST (Intertidal Coastal Sediment Transport Research Unit)

The Intertidal Coastal Sediment Transport (In_CoaST) Research Unit seeks to examine the interactions and feedbacks that occur between topography, biota, hydrodynamic and sedimentary processes and the resultant adjustment of intertidal morphology. Of particular interest is the response of intertidal environments to changes in forcing functions (e.g. wind, waves, currents, sediment, vegetation, topography, tidal energy and climate changes) and how human activities (e.g. coastal engineering, tidal power development) impact this response. The unit includes a suite of state-of-the-art, autonomous instrumentation pods that can provide simultaneous measurement and visualization of sediment transport, deposition, erosion and vegetative processes in the coastal intertidal zone, including historical analyses. It is complemented by a comprehensive sedimentological lab with a Coulter Multisizer 3 instrument.