Orrin H. Pilkey
Encyclopedia
Orrin H. Pilkey is Professor Emeritus of Earth Sciences, and Founder and Director Emeritus of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) within the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University
.
Pilkey received his B.S. degree in geology
at Washington State College, his M.S. degree in geology at the University of Montana and his Ph.D. degree in geology at Florida State University
. He has been at Duke University since 1965, with one year breaks with the Department of Marine Science at the University of Puerto Rico
, Mayagüez and with the U.S. Geological Survey in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Pilkey began his career with the study of abyssal plains on the deep sea floor. As a result of the destruction of his parents' house in Waveland, MS, in Hurricane Camille (1969), he switched to the study of coasts. Pilkey's research centers on both basic and applied coastal geology, focusing primarily on barrier island
coasts. The PSDS and the SJS are analyzing the numerical models used by coastal geologists and engineers to predict the movement of beach sand, especially in beach replenishment http://fds.duke.edu/db/Nicholas/faculty/opilkey/research.html. In general, Pilkey argues that mathematical models cannot be used to accurately predict the behavior of beaches, although they can be useful if directional or orders of magnitude answers are sought. In the book, Useless Arithmetic, written with his daughter Linda Pilkey-Jarvis, they argue that the outcome of natural processes in general cannot be accurately predicted by mathematical models. The Rising Sea, his latest book (with Rob Young), focuses on the global threat from sea level rise.
He has received numerous awards, among them the Francis Shepard medal for excellence in marine geology
in 1987, public service awards from several geological societies, and in 2003, he received the Priestly Award.
Pilkey has published more than 250 technical publications and a number of books.
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
Pilkey received his B.S. degree in geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
at Washington State College, his M.S. degree in geology at the University of Montana and his Ph.D. degree in geology at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
. He has been at Duke University since 1965, with one year breaks with the Department of Marine Science at the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
, Mayagüez and with the U.S. Geological Survey in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Pilkey began his career with the study of abyssal plains on the deep sea floor. As a result of the destruction of his parents' house in Waveland, MS, in Hurricane Camille (1969), he switched to the study of coasts. Pilkey's research centers on both basic and applied coastal geology, focusing primarily on barrier island
Barrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
coasts. The PSDS and the SJS are analyzing the numerical models used by coastal geologists and engineers to predict the movement of beach sand, especially in beach replenishment http://fds.duke.edu/db/Nicholas/faculty/opilkey/research.html. In general, Pilkey argues that mathematical models cannot be used to accurately predict the behavior of beaches, although they can be useful if directional or orders of magnitude answers are sought. In the book, Useless Arithmetic, written with his daughter Linda Pilkey-Jarvis, they argue that the outcome of natural processes in general cannot be accurately predicted by mathematical models. The Rising Sea, his latest book (with Rob Young), focuses on the global threat from sea level rise.
He has received numerous awards, among them the Francis Shepard medal for excellence in marine geology
Marine geology
Marine geology or geological oceanography involves geophysical, geochemical, sedimentological and paleontological investigations of the ocean floor and coastal margins...
in 1987, public service awards from several geological societies, and in 2003, he received the Priestly Award.
Pilkey has published more than 250 technical publications and a number of books.
Selected bibliography
- Pilkey, O.H., and R. Young, 2009, The Rising Sea: Island Press, Washington, D.C., 203 p. ISBN 978-1597261913
- Neal, W.J., O.H. Pilkey, and J.T. Kelley, 2007, Atlantic Coast Beaches: A Guide to Ripples, Dunes, and Other Natural Features of the Seashore: Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula, MT, 272 p.
- Pilkey, O.H., and L. Pilkey-Jarvis, 2007, Useless Arithmetic: Why Environmental Scientists Can’t Predict the Future: Columbia University Press, New York, New York, 230 p. ISBN 978-0231132138
- Pilkey, O.H., T.M. Rice, and W.J. Neal, 2004, How to Read a North Carolina Beach: University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 162 p. ISBN 978-0807855102
- Bush, D.M., W.J. Neal, N.J. Longo, K.C. Lindeman, D.F. Pilkey, L.S. Esteves, J.D. Congleton, O.H. Pilkey, 2004, Living with Florida's Atlantic Beaches, Coastal Hazards from Amelia Island to Key West: Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina, 338 p.
- Pilkey, O.H. and M.E. Fraser, 2003, A Celebration of the World's Barrier Islands: Columbia University Press, New York, New York, 309 p.
- Bush, D.M., N.J. Longo, W.J. Neal, L.S. Esteves, O.H. Pilkey, et al., 2001, Living on the Edge of the Gulf: The West Florida and Alabama Coast: Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina, 340 p.
- Pilkey, O.H., W.J. Neal, S.R. Riggs, C.A. Webb, D.M. Bush, J. Bullock, and B. Cowan, 1998, The North Carolina Shore and Its Barrier Islands: Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina, 318 p. ISBN 978-0822322245
- Mason, O., O.H. Pilkey, and W.J. Neal, 1996, Living with the Alaska Coast: Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina, 348 p.
- Bush, D.M., O.H. Pilkey, and W.J. Neal, 1996, Living by the Rules of the Sea, Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina, 179 p.
- Pilkey, O.H., and K.L. Dixon, 1996, The Corps and the Shore: Island Press, Washington, D.C., 272 p.
- Kaufman, W., and O.H. Pilkey, 1979, The Beaches Are Moving: The Drowning of America's Shoreline, Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina, 336 p.