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Monmouth University UCI’s Marine Scientist Supports NJDOT Sandy Recovery Research

The tidal flooding from Superstorm Sandy in Ocean and Monmouth counties exceeded previous record elevations set in 1992 by 12 to 18 inches. Eighty-mile per hour winds also generated waves across the lagoons and bays of the four coastal counties, raising tidal elevations 4 to 5 feet above normal.

This energy caused sediments to wash into bays, across the barrier spits and islands, and into navigation channels, marinas, and boat slips. New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) needed to determine the amount of sediment deposited as a result of Sandy to seek reimbursement from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for remedial action. Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute (UCI) Marine Scientist Jim Nickels worked with New Jersey Department Environmental Protection (NJDEP) geologists 7 days a week, October 7 to October 31, to meet a FEMA deadline to complete the necessary sampling. More than 2,500 cores were taken and analyzed, of which 250 were analyzed and logged by Nickels.

The UCI was established in September 2005 as one of the University’s Centers of Distinction. UCI’s mission is to serve the public interest as a forum for research, education, and collaboration that fosters the application of the best available science and policy to support healthy and productive coastal ecosystems and sustainable coastal communities.

For more information, contact UCI at 732-263-5392 or visit the Urban Coast Institute web site.