Description
Book SynopsisNew Jersey has roughly one hundred and thirty miles of coastline, including a wide array of habitats from marshes to ocean beaches, each hosting a unique ecosystem. Yet these coastal landscapes are quite dynamic, changing rapidly as a result of commercial development, environmental protection movements, and of course climate change. Now more than ever, it is vital to document these landscapes before they disappear.
Based on numerous aerial images from helicopter and drone flights between 2015 and 2021, this book provides extensive photographs and maps of the New Jersey coast, from the Pine Barrens to the ocean beaches. The text associated with each exceptional image describes it in detail, including its location, ecological setting, and relative position within the larger landscape. Author Kenneth Able, director of the Rutgers University Marine Field Station for over thirty years, has thoroughly ground-truthed each image by observations made through kayaks, boats, and wading through marshes. Calling upon his decades of expertise, Able paints a compelling portrait of coastal New Jersey’s stunning natural features, resources, history, and possible futures in an era of rising sea levels.
Trade Review“Dr. Able is truly an expert on Southern New Jersey with decades of personal knowledge. Coastal Landscapes is a vivid and powerful way to use unique imagery to help share his experiences and perspective–a must-have book on the region.”
-- David Tulloch * professor of landscape architecture, Rutgers University *
“Coastal Landscapes provides new and intriguing views of landscapes readers might already be familiar with from the ground. There are few people that combine Dr. Able’s academic expertise along with his boots-on-the ground perspective on these coastal ecosystems.”
-- Richard G. Lathrop Jr. * editor of The Highlands: Critical Resources, Treasured Landscapes *
“The Jersey Shore is one of the nation’s great natural and scenic resources, with the great forests of the Pine Barrens feeding extensive marshes and estuaries formed by beautiful barrier islands. With his scientific expertise and vast knowledge of the region, Ken Able is an ideal guide to showcase this extraordinary systems of interconnected ecosystems.” -- Carleton Montgomery * Executive Director, Pinelands Preservation Alliance *
Table of Contents1 Introduction 1
2 Nature Revealed 3
3 Relics of the Past 41
4 Recent Human Footprints 73
5 Connecting People, Places, and Resources 125
6 Sea Level Rising 161
Acknowledgements 191
General References 193
Index 000
