APS, ONR Team with Ghanaians to Research Coastal Erosion
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS090304-19
Release Date: 3/4/2009 4:52:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Holmes, Africa Partnership Station Nashville Public Affairs
ACCRA, Ghana (NNS) -- Scientists with Africa Partnership Station (APS) Nashville, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the University of Ghana (UG) teamed up to develop coastal erosion research in Ghana as part of an ongoing APS mission to improve maritime safety and security.
APS Nashville arrived Feb. 20 in Sekondi, Ghana, the second African port of its five-month deployment in support of APS. USS Nashville (LPD 13), a Norfolk–based amphibious transport dock ship, serves as the largest APS platform to date.
"Studies have shown that coastal erosion is especially severe in Ghana, and coastlines are changing fast and physically eroding and destroying properties," said Selorm Ababio, a lecturer for the UG's Department of Oceanography and Fisheries.
With 50 percent of Ghana's population living on the coastline, the erosion poses a serious threat. More than 70 percent of the coastline in Accra, Ghana's capital and most populous city, is eroding at a rate of 1.13 meters per year, according to Ababio.
Through funding from ONR's Coastal Geosciences Program and assistance from APS, UG researchers are now using such equipment as a Real Time Kinematic Differential Global Positioning System (RTK dGPS) to study coastal processes. To develop effective research programs, ONR has also been funding visits by researchers from organizations like the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the largest nonprofit oceanographic institution in the world, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
"A basic problem we faced was getting the right equipment, the right level of training and the right level of personnel to help us do this work," said Ababio. "The technology we're using now is relatively new to us and relatively new to the world.
"I stand to gain quite a lot from this association because it's bringing me close to modern technologies in shoreline change, detection, measurement and coastal morphology. It's bringing me closer to leading the ways of doing things better and contributing more meaningfully to my society. The whole project really came to fruition when we became partners with APS."
APS provides a unique venue to align maritime engagements by utilizing an international team of experts in a variety of military capacities and civilian fields. The international initiative, under the auspices of Naval Forces Africa, works cooperatively with U.S., European and African partners to enhance maritime safety and security on the African continent.
"The research community is an important partner here," said Dr. Augustus Vogel, development advisor for APS and maritime partner liaison for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa and Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, and project manager for APS' coastal processes engagement.
"The hydrology of rivers and lagoons along the coast of Ghana could be affected so much that it could ruin fisheries or important sources of agricultural land. Coastal erosion can destroy beach and fishing communities and can also threaten a port's ship traffic. So research, when talking about maritime security, is absolutely important."
Coastal erosion cannot be stopped completely, so research and mitigation efforts are the best and only defense. Projects like this one will not only provide immediate solutions, but also aid in securing a safer maritime domain.
"We're really hoping this partnership is for the long haul because we are looking at translating our studies to our students," said Ababio. "We're already planning on training future students how to carry out such studies so they can continue to build a capacity in our country, so we can watch our coastline more carefully, determine exactly what is happening to it and prescribe what measures to take depending on what resources we have."
Ababio's fellow UG researcher, Dr. Kwasi Addo agreed the project will yield dividends for future students as well as the world.
"We live in a global village, and we need to exchange knowledge and ideas," said Addo. "APS is also helping us to know what is happening on other parts of the coast, and the more we learn, the more we can implement here. I think we in Africa are going to benefit from it tremendously."
For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe -U.S. Naval Forces Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/naveur/.
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