The Georgia Coast Atlas is a public, online gateway to the dynamic ecosystems and intriguing history of the state’s 100-mile-long coast and barrier islands. Emory University’s Department of Environmental Sciences and the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship launched the ambitious project. It showcases scholarship in science and the humanities, weaving together research, fieldwork and technology to create an unprecedented resource for educators, conservationists, students and the general public.
The interactive trove — made up of stunning flyover video, oral and written stories and annotated maps — keeps expanding through the efforts of Emory students and faculty.
“The main aim of the Atlas is to show how special the Georgia coast is as a place,” says Anthony Martin, a professor of practice in Environmental Sciences. “Secondly, it documents how the region is rapidly changing.”
Jessie Moore Torres contributed research as an Emory undergraduate, majoring in environmental sciences. She focused on three little-known islands at the mouth of the Altamaha River — Wolf, Egg and Little Egg — providing a detailed picture of their role in the coastal ecosystems. She also conducted an in-depth spatial analysis, combining historical aerial photos she uncovered in archives and modern satellite data, to show how the shorelines of Wolf and Egg eroded in recent decades.
“Few people know about these islands, because they are a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge and visitors aren’t allowed, but they’re an important nesting area for migratory birds and sea turtles,” says Torres, a native of Puerto Rico.