This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The University of Rhode Island has made one of the world's longest-running beach survey efforts available online through Rhode Island Beach Dynamics Over Decades, a new public website. Since 1962, about four dozen students and several scientists from the URI Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO), the URI Environmental Data Center, the URI Department of Geosciences and Eastern Connecticut State University have monitored the shorelines of eight Rhode Island beaches.
Their measurements and images reveal short- and long-term changes and the impact of severe storms. The website took a year and a half to develop. "I'm thrilled to have this website published, not only because we put in a lot of hard work to make it—but also because students and staff have been braving the elements and other challenges for decades," said J.P.
Walsh, a URI professor of oceanography, marine geology and geophysics. "It's great to have this information compiled for all to see and use." Walsh spearheaded the website with Mary Klimasewiski, a marine research associate in GSO. "We're excited to bring decades of beach survey data together in a publicly accessible resource, making it easier for managers, researchers and the public to visualize and understand how our coastline is changing over time," said Klimasewiski.
Klimasewiski earned a master's degree in data science from URI in 2025. She applied that knowledge when handling decades of information for the website. "My data science studies shaped how I approached this project, from organizing and integrating a large, complex dataset to developing clear visualizations that make the data easier to explore, understand and use," said Klimasewiski.
As the supervisor of the GSO beach survey since 2020, Walsh is proud that more than 60 years of scientific data have been preserved and are now available to the public. "It's awesome to be a part of something so lasting and impactful," said Walsh. "Many students talk about their memories of measuring beaches.
The results they have generated can serve as a permanent record of the dynamism and disappearance of the Ocean State coastline." A beach profile is created when a scientist measures a series of elevation points across a beach, from the waterline to the landward vegetation. These surveyed points are plotted on a graph to show the shape of a beach at a specific point in time. By repeating these measurements over time, scientists can see and calculate changes.
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