The New Jersey coastline has been sinking, slowly, since the last ice age – a reflection of geologic changes, for sure, but also of changing climate conditions, exacerbated in more recent years by human-caused factors.

Species evolve and adapt to changing conditions, or not, depending on the rate of change. That’s one of the fascinating aspects of studying natural history and ecology. The number of confounding factors make it a challenging puzzle to try and sort out, especially when humans are part of that natural history.  

Humans have moved species around and domesticated both plant and animal species for thousands of years. But in the past 150 years, our ability to exert even more influence, sometimes inadvertently, has become more profound.

So what can, or should, we do about it? [Read more…]