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Bowdoin College

Publication Date

Spring 2023

Program Name

Tanzania-Zanzibar: Coastal Ecology and Natural Resource Management

Abstract

Terrestrial and marine ecosystems are frequently interpreted under separate lenses. On a 1 km wide island, however, these two sciences are inextricably tied. Misali Island, a small coralline island in the Indian Ocean, has been largely uninhabited for its entire history, making this coastal interface unique. In this study, Misali Island is used as a study region to demonstrate how natural processes are materializing in the Zanzibar Archipelago. Methods employed, both geological and marine, work to understand the erosional circumstances of Baobab Beach and the inherent effects on local coral reefs. Results show that Misali’s northeastern beachfront is currently under threat of erosion and there have been apparent effects of deposition of these eroded sediments in the southeastern regions of the island. These mechanisms are expected to continue and may be enhanced by sea level rise and increasing human activity, inevitably further shrinking the Baobab beachfront and destroying the adjacent coral reef.

Disciplines

African Studies | Environmental Monitoring | Oceanography | Sedimentology

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