Biology & Paleo Environment Events

It is a time for creative ingenuity in environmental research. Coastal environments are some of the most dynamic and populated places on Earth and now, more than ever, questions focused on conservation and climate change need to be answered through more than objective, systematic scientific enquiry. In this talk I invite collaboration with Lamont researchers within the broad topic area of spatial analysis of coastal environments. This is the subject of my book, published last month, which provides the analytical tools to map, monitor and model coastal features (the ‘Three M’s of spatial analysis’). These tools enable ‘analytical creativity’, the use of original, critical ideas to follow new lines of enquiry. Analytical creativity lies at the heart of experimental design, model specification and validation, playing an important part at every stage of scientific knowledge production.

Following the three M’s of spatial analysis, I will use a mapping case study from Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory to show how Marie Tharp’s ocean floor maps provided important evidence within broader scientific debates about plate tectonics. Through a monitoring case study of shoreline erosion at Nantucket Islands and a modelling case study of corals on the Great Barrier Reef, I outline theoretical principles underpinning spatial analysis. Collectively these illustrate how recent developments in remote sensing technology, geographical information science and spatial statistics can be used to apply enduring and fundamental spatial analysis principles. I summarise how I hope to think creatively and critically to analyse coastal phenomena during my time at Lamont, and invite collaboration with interested researchers.

Spring 2017: