Rugged and energetic, Riggs has recorded 

 erosion rates along North Carolina's 4,000 miles 

 of estuarine shoreline for more than 30 years. 

 To gather the data, he has trekked across soggy 

 swamps, muddy marshes and hot, bare beaches. 



"Stan is unique," says David Mallinson, 

 a former student of Riggs and ECU assistant 

 geology professor. "He is so insightful and full of 

 knowledge. He hasn't slowed down mentally or 

 physically in 20 years." 



Last year, after Hurricane Isabel, Riggs 

 and his research team measured the erosion 

 rate of the sediment bluffs along the Chowan 

 River. During the storm, a surge of up to eight 

 feet occurred within large portions of North 

 Carolina's estuarine system. Along the Chowan 

 River, there were estimated 80 mph sustained 

 winds and gusts up to 95 mph, according to 

 Riggs. 



"After Hurricane Isabel passed over 

 the Chowan River, there was up to 80 feet of 

 shoreline recession along portions of Chowan 

 River bluffs," he adds. 



New Sea Grant Book 



The bluff along the Chowan River is 

 featured in the new North Carolina Sea Grant 

 publication Drowning The North Carolina Coast: 

 Sea-Level Rise and Estuarine Dynamics, written by 

 Riggs and ECU Research Associate Dorothea V. 

 Ames. The book builds upon Sea Grant's Sound- 

 front Series: Shoreline Erosion in North Carolina 

 Estuaries by Riggs. 



In the new book, the authors provide 

 in-depth information about erosion processes 

 and rates along North Carolina's northeastern 

 estuarine shoreline. 



"We put the science of the estuarine sys- 

 tem into a framework that could be understood 

 by the public and coastal managers," says 

 Riggs. "Our estuarine system is an incredible re- 

 source that represents North Carolina's natural 

 capital. We must manage this coastal system as 

 a nonrenewable natural and extremely dynamic 

 resource if we hope to preserve it both for the 

 short- and long-term future utilization and 

 development of the state." 



Riggs began tracking shoreline erosion 

 rates for the state's coastal system in the 1 970s 



funding from North Carolina Sea Grant. 

 "This was a progressive idea for Sea Grant 

 to fund such a study, prior to severe develop- 

 ment pressure," says Riggs. "At the time, not 

 many people were interested in erosion rates 

 along estuarine shorelines." 



Since then, Riggs and his colleagues have 

 gathered data on short- and long-term erosion 

 rates along the state's estuarine shoreline. 

 Recendy, they consolidated the data for the 

 book that can be used as ready reference for 

 property owners, coastal managers, govern- 

 ment officials, community planners, resource 

 managers and educators. 



"While much attention has been focused 

 on the natural resources affecting the ocean 

 shorelines, little has been directed to the forces 

 acting on the estuarine shoreline, which is an 

 equally vital resource," says Charles Jones, 

 director of the N.C Division of Coastal Man- 

 agement. 



"We are excited about the prospect of 

 using Dr. Riggs' research to further our under- 

 standing of these processes," adds Jones. "I feel 

 it is in the Division of Coastal Management's 

 interest to support studies and research in this 

 area so that a better understanding can be 

 applied in the development of coastal manage- 

 ment and policies." 



Continued 



AFTER HURRICANE ISABEL PASSED OVER 

 THE CHOWAN RIVER, UP TO 80 FEETOF 

 Si SHORELINE RECEDED ALONG THE RIVER BLUFFS. 



