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CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Sometimes, in a big winter storm, it can happen right before your eyes.

Most of the time, though, erosion at the Oregon coast is more gradual. But with increased rates of sea-level rise and higher storm waves, the 21st century will bring greater erosion to the Oregon coast, says Paul Komar, an expert in coastal processes at Oregon State University (OSU).

Komar, a professor emeritus in the OSU College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, will give a public lecture on the scientific background and the implications of increased natural hazards for coastal development, "Living on the Oregon Coast in a Century of Climate Change."

The talk, part of the John Byrne Lecture Series, is Wednesday, Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m., in the Construction and Engineering Auditorium of the LaSells Stewart Center on the OSU campus.

Komar's lecture, which is sponsored by Oregon Sea Grant and the OSU College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, is free, open to the public, and according to organizers, specifically intended for a public audience.

Komar, a member of the OSU faculty since 1970, has conducted research, lectured widely, and written and edited books touching on his lecture topic. One book written for a general audience, "The Pacific Northwest Coast: Living with the Shores of Oregon and Washington," was published by Duke University Press in 1998.

The Byrne Lecture Series, named for former OSU President and NOAA Administrator John Byrne, presents public lectures on subjects of broad topical interest in marine and atmospheric sciences, particularly on themes of resources, policy and communicating science to an interested but non-specialist audience.