Seminar to Focus on NC's Tidal Inlets and Terminal Groins 10/20/2009 12:58:27 PM  E-Mail The Department of Geography and Geology presents the Randall-Zullo Seminar at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 in DeLoach Hall, Room 114. The talk, given by faculty member William Cleary, is titled, "North Carolina's Tidal Inlets and Terminal Groins: Facts and Fiction." Terminal groins are relatively small hard structures that have been proposed to be placed in tidal inlets along North Carolina's coastline to reduce shoaling or filling in of the inlets. Two terminal groins currently exist along the southern coast, one at Fort Macon in Beaufort Inlet and the other in Oregon Inlet. "There is a huge legislative, scientific, engineering, environmental and public debate over the impact these structures will have on the beaches south of the inlets," said Cleary. "This presentation will help dispel some of the misinformation that is out there and give the audience a better understanding of how inlets work." Cleary said there is confusion on the part of the public about the difference between terminal groins and other, larger structures such as jetties and sea walls. He will discuss how terminal groins work differently from these structures and how they can be beneficial in certain inlets.