University of Plymouth and Louisiana State University join forces to study climate change

The new transatlantic partnership will initially focus on exploring some of the global effects of sea level rise
Coastal research at Porthleven, Cornwall
The University of Plymouth and the College of the Coast & Environment at Louisiana State University (LSU) have formed a partnership that aims to conduct pioneering research into the causes and effects of global climate change.
Uniting world-leading experts in marine, coastal and environmental sciences, the universities are exploring initiatives linked to sea level rise and the impact it could have on coastal ecosystems, infrastructure and industry.
Also bringing together experts in social sciences and healthcare, they are also looking into the effects of sea level rise – and climate change more broadly – on people, the cities and towns they live in, and on public health and wellbeing.
Over the course of many years, researchers from the two universities have seen first-hand some of the global effects of climate change, and also explored how to slow its advance.
For Plymouth, this has included studies exploring rises in the number and severity of extreme storms, the impact of climate change on fish populations and fishing communities, the resilience of island nations to sea level rise and coastal flooding, and the development of offshore renewable energy and other net zero initiatives.

Our universities may be located thousands of miles apart, but they are in communities vulnerable to sea level rise and acutely aware of the impacts it could have across all aspects of society and the environment.

They are also home to expertise working to better understand those impacts and identify potential solutions. 
The opportunity to unite that expertise makes this a very exciting collaboration with the potential to benefit our two like-minded universities, and the planet and its population as a whole.

Christopher FogwillProfessor Christopher Fogwill
Executive Dean

We are very excited to enter into this partnership with the University of Plymouth. The university has outstanding faculty and facilities, and a long history of impactful and relevant research.

Many of the issues they are studying are very similar to what we are working on, including fisheries and habitat, protection of critical infrastructure, and the best ways to use sediment resources.
In addition, this collaboration will help facilitate exchange of students and provide them with valuable experiences, both abroad and in a different type of coastal system.
Clint Willson
Dean of the College of the Coast & Environment at LSU 
The partnership was confirmed with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding during a recent visit by senior staff from LSU to Plymouth.
It initially commits the two universities to exploring mutually beneficial research collaborations across a range of academic disciplines, but this could be expanded in future to develop a global network of organisations focusing on coastal environments, sea levels and connections to community and place.
There is also the prospect of undergraduate and postgraduate students from Plymouth and Louisiana taking part in exchange placements between the two universities.
 

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