Use of Citizen Scientists in Sea Level Rise Research.

Students and the general public typically receive knowledge and information about sea level rise from textbooks or mass media sources.  Few have real-life experiences or understandings of potential impacts of this process.  On-going research studies in tidal forested wetlands on Winyah Bay South Carolina provide project-based learning opportunities for citizen scientists to gain insights and practical experiences about the impacts of sea level rise on coastal ecosystems.  These low-lying wetland ecosystems are representative of coastal wetlands along the Southeastern US coast, from Texas to North Carolina, which are currently converting from freshwater forested wetland to salt marsh. These forest-marsh transitions significantly alter vegetation composition and biogeochemical processes, resulting in deteriorating soil and water quality and reduction of the capacity for carbon sequestration within these coastal ecosystems.  In collaboration with the EarthWatch Institute, high school students and citizen scientists have been recruited to participate in summer research at Clemson University’s Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology & Forest Science. These participants worked together to take field measurements including forest productivity and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as nutrient concentrations in soil and water under the guidance of the wetland and soil scientists at the Institute.  The ultimate goals of the research and education program are to yield quantified evidence to illustrate the stress occurring in these coastal ecosystems and to connect students and the general public in on-going cutting-edge research activities and engaging them in discussions of the impacts of sea level rise.