Eastern Shore project harnesses community for climate science [Video]

In the fading December light at the causeway beach on Sober Island, N.S., Robin Metcalfe and a group of other citizen scientists set up a device pointing due east down the sand.

This beach profiler — made of wing nuts, curtain rods, and a pocket level tied on with elastic bands — is measuring the slope of the beach, to assess how it’s changing over time.

It’s part of a series of measurements that Metcalfe, who is captain of this crew, and other citizen scientists are using to document the changes happening on this stretch of coastline. Metcalfe also has an automated weather station and rain gauge at his house five minutes down the road, to monitor weather and precipitation.

“The social aspect is really important because it’s getting people out on the beach in December,” he says. “It takes a certain degree of commitment.”

These measurements are part of …