Strengthening Sensor and Community Networks in Pursuit of Smart Coasts

Abstract

There is an urgent need for high-resolution coastal data, but the most sophisticated technologies are often too expensive and/or too complicated for all but a few deployments. There is increasing recognition that lower-cost technologies can be efficiently and effectively deployed—both by professional and participatory scientists—to fill observational gaps. In this talk, I will discuss our group’s efforts in this space, including development of sensor networks, community engagement, and formal and informal education connections. I will focus on several recent COAST Lab projects related to the development and distribution of low-cost sensors for water level and water quality, the operation and analysis of bio-optical data from the SeaHawk/HawkEye CubeSat satellite mission, and a sensor-equipped surfboard fin for coastal research named Smartfin.

About the speaker

Phil Bresnahan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and member of the Center for Marine Science. His group, the Coastal Ocean Applied Science and Technology Lab (or COAST Lab) seeks to contribute to Smart Coasts by (1) inventing and deploying cutting-edge connected sensors and platforms, (2) engaging with coastal communities in the study and real-time dissemination of critical information, and (3) working toward improved ocean, climate, and coastal literacy for students of all ages. Our research is targeted toward inventing and applying novel sensing techniques and analytical approaches in the (mostly coastal) ocean in order to investigate natural and human-caused phenomena, especially sea level rise/flooding, ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and eutrophication.