The Mid-Atlantic Coast region contains some of the most beautiful natural areas in the U.S., including Cape May, Cape Henlopen, The Delaware Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Assateague Island National Seashore, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. However, this region is also one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and sea level rise. This talk will explore both the gorgeous beaches, bays, and marshes of the area, but will also look at what lessons—and warnings—the Mid-Atlantic Coast has for our local shoreline here in Connecticut.
Patrick J. Lynch is the author of the new book A Field Guide to the Mid-Atlantic Coast, published by Yale University Press in April 2021.
About the book
The Outer Banks of North Carolina and the beaches of the Mid‑Atlantic Coast are among the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. This book is a richly illustrated field guide that surveys the geology, environmental history, natural history, and human history of a region that spans the eastern seaboard from Sandy Hook in New Jersey south to Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
It is organized around environments, not particular locations. Included are the geology of beaches and barrier islands and the environmental history of the region as well as detailed looks at the natural history of beaches, dunes, maritime forests, coastal marshes, and estuaries. Also covered are issues involving human activity and climate change, which have become dominant forces shaping geophysical and biological environments.
This guide will enable users to walk into a salt marsh or onto a beach and identify much of what they see.
“This is the perfect ‘beach book’! With Patrick Lynch’s beautiful illustrations and clear descriptions you’ll be able to identify and understand everything from seaweed to whales, from ocean waves to the origins of sand, and much, much more.”
—David Allen Sibley, author of What It’s Like to Be a Bird
“Patrick Lynch’s beautifully illustrated guides are absolutely and uniquely the best and fastest way to feel intimate with a region. He tells you where you are—gifts you a sense of place—and does it so quickly and beautifully it’s a little like cheating.”
—Carl Safina, author of Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace