LSU Oceanographer Develops Model to Better Predict Barrier Island Retreat

July 06, 2022

New information co-authored by an LSU associate professor shows the retreat of coastal barrier islands will accelerate by 50 percent within a century, even if sea level continues to rise at its present rate, diminishing the buffer and protection they provide. 

“These findings can be applied all over the world, but they may be particularly significant in the U.S., where houses are being built extremely close to the beach,” said Giulio Mariotti of the LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences and Center for Computation and Technology.

LSU's coastal research is applicable to coastal communities and infrastructure, not just on the Gulf Coast but across the U.S. and the world. 

Learn more about the research