Fredericksburg's University of Mary Washington students are studying the loss of Shark Tooth Island

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Shark Tooth Island is a sandbar in Montross, Virginia that contains fossils from the ocean’s top predator. The island is popular for its shark tooth fossils but is slowly disappearing. Shark Tooth Island may be gone in a matter of decades.

John P. Tippett, an adjunct professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, said:

“I started going to Shark Tooth Island when I was 12 years old, hunting shark teeth. I’ve seen that island disappear over my lifespan. It’s a dramatic change from what it was like when I was younger.”

Professor Tippett and Kate Stoneman, a rising junior and research assistant at the University of Mary Washington, are trying to predict when and why the island in the Potomac River, colloquially called Shark Tooth Island, will disappear. They say climate change is a key factor.

Stoneman said:

“This is a local landmark that people love to visit. I want to show them that climate change is going to affect you on this personal level, whether you like it or not, because it’s what’s happening.”

The research

Tippett and Stonemen are examining the island's loss from two angles: sea level rise and land subsidence. Their research includes compiling previous findings, determining the amount of land lost, and conducting their own fieldwork.

By 2080, the loss of beach and dune features, including those in the Eastern Shore region, is “projected to reach 3,800 acres, a 38% loss of existing habitat,” according to the plan.

Tippet concluded:

“There’s a whole lot of misinformation, a whole lot of folks who believe [climate change isn’t] not real, or not that bad, What we’re doing here is trying to address that part.”