Rhode Island scientists release decades of beach erosion data online
University of Rhode Island researchers have published more than 60 years of shoreline survey data on a new public website.
Long-term monitoring project goes digital
Since 1962, students and scientists from multiple institutions have tracked changes at eight Rhode Island beaches. The University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography made this extensive record available through a new platform called Rhode Island Beach Dynamics Over Decades.
Website development took eighteen months
J.P. Walsh led the effort to compile measurements and images that show short-term and long-term coastal changes. Mary Klimasewiski helped spearhead the project while applying her master's degree in data science earned in 2025.
Data reveals storm impacts clearly
The compiled records allow managers, researchers, and the public to visualize how the coastline evolves over time. Staff members braved difficult weather conditions for decades to gather these specific measurements and photographs.
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