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The University of Southampton
Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute

WUN Changing Coast Workshop Event

Time:
09:00 - 17:00
Date:
12 - 14 March 2013
Venue:
De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel Southampton

For more information regarding this event, please telephone Robert J Nicholls on +44 (0)23 8059 4139 or email R.J.Nicholls@southampton.ac.uk .

Event details

Prof Robert Nicholls (CMEES, FEE) hosted a workshop funded by the Worldwide Universities Network* in March on the theme of ‘Changing Coasts’. The workshop, attended by 28 participants from ten countries, bought together academics with a diverse range of backgrounds, including engineers, oceanographers, geographers, ecologists and social scientists to consider the challenges associated with managing coastal change due to multiple stresses, including uncertainty. The workshop received media interest, and an interview with Robert Nicholls was featured on the BBC South news.

Around 10% of the world’s population and large amounts of income are generated in the coastal zone, which is also home to many unique and productive habitats. Whilst the coast offers many benefits, it is also a hazardous place to live, as demonstrated by recent events such as Hurricane Sandy, the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and Winter storm Xynthia.  Recognising that stakeholders and their activities will always create competing demands in coastal areas, the group considered the complex physical/social and economic interactions that result and how any tensions could be better managed into the future.  Part of this was considering current and future expectations/aspirations for our coastal areas, how decision-making is constrained by historic choices and governance structures and how improved understanding of the full range of coastal ‘processes’ across natural and human systems will influence future decisions. As part of the workshop, a one day fieldtrip around Southampton Water was organised.  The delegates were given background information from a range of local experts, visited Fawley Power Station, Hythe saltmarshes, and returned to Southampton on the Hythe Ferry. The activity centre on Calshot Spit provided lunch with a sea view adding to the overall enjoyment of the day.

After many lively, complex discussions, the group are developing a working paper to summarise the Workshop outputs as a first step to developing this research agenda.

*The Worldwide Universities Network comprises 19 research led universities. For more information, contact Dr Elisa Lawson at the International Office.

http://www.wun.ac.uk/events/wun-changing-coasts-workshop

Speaker information

Professor Robert Nicholls,Professor of Coastal Engineering

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