This presentation provides a theoretical framework and preliminary empirical results of a coupled national and human system occurring in the Lower Meghna estuary of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) drainage basin focusing on vulnerability and resilience related to the problem of coastal erosion. Situated in Bangladesh, population in the GBM megadelta is faced with multiple vulnerabilities arising from natural systems operating at varying time-space scales. Field interviews revealed riverbank erosion as one of the top hazards faced by the local population. Coastal erosion has the potential to threaten economic and geopolitical stabilities due to the permanent nature of lost land resources that deprive the populations of land-based resources and access to marine resources. Variation in the location and timing of erosion events produces uncertainty for populations who must negotiate erosion threats without the benefit of consistent science-informed information regarding risk and vulnerability. This project contributes to a better understanding of the intersection of coastal environmental change, lowland coastal populations, atmospheric science, and sustainable rural livelihoods. We adopt concepts from resilience theory that includes the roles of adaptive cycles, cross-scale interactions and panarchy to present a theoretical framework to improve understandings of resilience. Key considerations include: (a) human mitigative strategies such as shoreline modification (i.e. embankments), and (b) human adaptive strategies, such as livelihood strategies, community-wide response, or migration. Preliminary results of coastal erosion rates and monsoon patterns, early findings from village fieldwork and a science workshop conducted in Dhaka are also presented. This project is supported by a recently initiated NSF Geography and Spatial Sciences award with collaborators from East Carolina University, Kansas State University, and Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (Bangladesh).

Dr. Crawford holds a Ph.D. in Geography (UNC-Chapel Hill) and a B.S. in Mathematical Economics (Wake Forest University). He has been a faculty member at Gettysburg College, East Carolina University, and Saint Louis University. In 2017, he was appointed as the Department Head of Geography at Virginia Tech. At Virginia Tech, he is involved with Coastal@VT, an interdisciplinary group of faculty pursuing coastal scholarship. His research investigates theoretical and applied investigations of topics centered on geospatial analysis of human-environment interactions and sustainability issues. Selected research themes integrate coupled natural and human systems to analyze problem areas in coastal development, land use change, natural hazards, and public health.

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