J. Thorburn

The Geography Speaker Series continues on Friday with a presentation by Dr. Danika van Proosdij, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at St. Mary's University. Dr. van Proosdij is a coastal geomorphologist with a background in physical geography, biology and geomatics who specializes in process geomorphology and biogeography of intertidal ecosystems. She is also the director of the Intertidal Coastal Sediment Transport (In_CoaST) Research Unit and coordinator of the Maritime Provinces Spatial Analysis Research Center (MP_SpARC). Dr. van Proosdij is an active member of the SMaRTS (Salt Marsh and Restricted Tidal Sytems) working group of the Bay of Fundy ecosystem partnership and act as a scientific consultant to CB Wetlands and Environmental Specialists, an organization responsible for the majority of coastal ecosystem restoration projects in Nova Scotia.

Dr. van Proosdij will be discussing "Vulnerability of dykelands in the Bay of Fundy to climate change" on Friday, February 8 at 3:00 p.m. in SN 2025. For more details about her talk, please see the abstract below:

 Dykelands are of strategic importance for climate change adaptation in the Bay of Fundy region as well as globally.  Originally designed to protect approximately 32,350 ha of agricultural land, they now protect an increasing amount of valuable infrastructure without significant re-evaluation of their critical elevations in Nova Scotia.   With relative sea level rising by some estimates of 0.86 m +/- 0.36 by 2085 in the Upper Bay, increase in storm surge return periods, higher tides associated with the Saros cycle, aging dyke infrastructure, and increased development behind dykes, the vulnerability of these low-lying areas is increasing significantly.  This presentation will provide an overview of methods used to evaluate the vulnerability of climate change within the Minas and Cumberland Basins including the development of a spatial and temporal marshlands atlas as well as coastal vulnerability tool in ArcGIS and hydrodynamic modelling of flood impacts within the Town of Windsor, NS using TuFLOW and SMS.   The presentation will conclude with an assessment of the opportunities and constraints for climate change adaptation in the upper Bay of Fundy and recommendations for future action.