During a recent interview, Dr. Mark Borelli, a coastal geologist with the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, gave a few good reasons. For those concerned about the erosion on Morris Island in Chatham, climate change, chiefly in the form of sea level rise, is contributing to uncertainty and volatility in the barrier beach process. In a talk at the community center, Dr. Borelli said a change in the way sand flows along the shore of the Outer Cape means less is moving toward Chatham. Combined with more frequent and more severe storms, this could mean more erosion and less predictability in the system.
We interviewed Dr. Borelli for “No Refuge: Cape Cod’s Coastal Crisis”, and he outlined what, frankly, is a rather pessimistic view of the Cape shoreline’s future. There are steps that can be taken to minimize the damage, however. Help us get disseminate this information by spreading the word about our documentary, and if you haven’t already contributed, please visit our Kickstarter campaign page and check out the rewards.
We also encourage you to visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Monomoy Refuge headquarters on Morris Island to see for yourself what is at stake.