Spring Beach Surveying with Cunningham Middle School Students  

by Melanie Gingras    

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Map showing monitoring sites for CMS students (Source: Melinda Martinez).

On May 17, 2016, CMGL MS students Melanie Gingras and Rachel Edwards returned to Bob Hall Pier in Corpus Christi to assist with the Texas High School Coastal Monitoring Program. CMGL has partnered with Tiffany Caudle of the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG), a research unit of the University of Texas at Austin, since 2007. The purpose of this program is to engage young students, like the students from Cunningham Middle School, in coastal and marine sciences as well as to teach the students fundamental techniques for collecting beach profiles, wind, wave, current, and GPS data. This program is sponsored by the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and the data collected by the students at the two study sites is used to enhance the work done by the Texas Coastal Management Project.

The two study sites depicted here (above) are the sites monitored by Cunningham Middle School students. The beach-dune complex site has been monitored since 2009 and shows students the morphology of a natural beach, whereas the seawall site, which was added in 2015, depicts the morphology of a beach that is highly influenced by man-made structures.  

As students from Cunningham Middle School assemble, Tiffany Caudle review
the concepts and activities to be implemented during the study
(Photo credit: Melanie Gingras).

When the students arrived at Bob Hall Pier, they were debriefed by Tiffany Caudle regarding the purpose and importance of the project (right, Tiffany is speaking with her arm raised). At the first study site, the students were split into two groups. One group of students walked with a handheld GPS along the vegetation line and wet/dry line and measured winds, waves, and currents, while the other group performed a shore-normal beach profile. At the second site, the groups switched so that the group that performed the dune profile at the first site gathered the wind, wave, current, and GPS data at the second site while the group that gathered wind, wave, current, and GPS data at the first site performed the dune profile at the second site.

A group of students works with Tiffany to gather dune
elevation data (Photo credit: Melanie Gingras).

The group that performed the shore-normal beach profile (left), staked the transect using the permanent datum as a reference and used Emery rods, metric tape, and a hand level to survey the changes in elevation from the foredunes to the waterline.

The group that gathered wind, wave, and current data (below) did so with a Suunto compass, a pressure anemometer, a stopwatch, oranges, and measuring tape before breaking into smaller groups to walk the vegetation and wet/dry line with a differential GPS unit.

For more information about the Texas High School Coastal Monitoring program, click here.

A student from CMS launces an orange into the ocean while Rachel Edwards keeps time for the current measurement (left). A CMS student and Melanie Gingras measure the longshore distance traveled by an orange (right). (Photo credits: Melanie Gingraas and Rachel Edwards).

CMGL Staff Lead Field Trip and Student Wins Award at Local Meetings in April     By Luz Lumb Dr. Davis (far left) and Dr. Gibeaut (center, pointing at map) led a tour of Mustang Island geoenvironments at the Texas meting of the American Shore and Beach Conservation Association, hosted by UTMSI. April was a busy month for meetings for our colleagues at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI). On April 1, UTMSI hosted the annual meeting of the Texas Chapter of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA), which is held at a different location every year. Then on April 13-14, they hosted the Texas Bays and Estuaries Meeting, an annual event at UTMSI. Both meetings were well organized and very productive, and CMGL students and staff were happy to attend. Drs. Davis and Gibeaut talk about Fish Pass, a tidal inlet that was dredged and jettied back in the 70's, only to be filled in by natural processes less than 10 years later. Dr. Richard (Skip) Davis, Harte Research Institute visiting professor, author, and leader in the field of barrier island morphology, was part of the organizing committee for the ASBPA meeting. Skip and our own Dr. Gibeaut, with help from CMGL staff Luz Lumb, Anthony Reisinger, and Mukesh Subedee, led a field trip covering the length of Mustang Island and the major geoenvironments that are common to most Texas barrier islands. The group of about 20 academics and professionals in diverse fields related to Texas beaches and dunes (such as geology, remote sensing, geochemistry, environmental engineering, and restoration) got an up-close look at natural features such as tidal inlets, storm washovers, and back-island marshes and flats, as well as constructed features such as a dredge-and-fill  canal subdivision, a wastewater treatment plant outfall that has created a brackish marsh, and Packery Channel, which separates Mustang and North Padre Islands and is kept open by long jetties and periodic dredging. The next day, Dr. Davis, Anthony, and Mukesh each presented work they are currently involved in. Dr. Davis pointed out the need for a state-wide sediment budget to be used by management agencies in large-scale management decisions. Anthony showed results from his PhD work that uses remote sensing techniques to identify effects of oyster dredging and other human activities on the transport of sediment in the major Texas bays, and Mukesh presented work he is leading in projecting environmental and socioeconoimc impacts of sea level rise along the Texas coast. View from the observation tower of the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas, where a wastewater tretment plant outfall has turned extensive tidal flats into a thriving brackish water marsh.  Rachel won 2nd place in the student poster competition at the Texas Bays and Estuaries meeting. At the Texas Bays and Estuaries meeting, master's student Rachel Edwards presented a poster describing her thesis work. Rachel is working with Mukesh on characterizing the effect specific policies regarding development might have on the distribution of marsh environments under various sea level rise scenarios in the Galveston Bay area. Rachel's work is still in the initial phase, but we are excited that her results may be useful in terms of guiding policy toward a more resilient coast. Poster judges at TBEM must agree, because Rachel was awarded 2nd place (and $100) in the student poster competition! Many thanks to the Texas Bays and Estuaries Meeting and the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation for sponsoring the awards. Rachel's work is part of a larger project, led by CMGL researcher Mukesh Subedee, identifying biophysical and siocioeconomic impacts of sea level rise along the Texas coast.

Notes from the Field: Student Rachel Edwards Reflects on her Time Aboard R/V Falcor The "green flash" happened at least twice during the cruise. Unfortunately I didn't see it or many sunsets in general because my watch covered 3-6 am and pm.     By Rachel Edwards       Since I have now returned home from the five-week research cruise to explore Tamu Massif, Jinchang Zhang “Dr. Sam”, who are the leading expert geophysicists on Tamu Massif.  Just to be able to talk with these renowned scientists about their research and ask them questions about Shatsky Rise or other diverse subjects such as the creation of our planet or whether or not plate tectonics may exist on Mars has been extraordinary.  Conversely, the student scientists on the team will no doubt be the successors, movers, and shakers in oceanography and other similar fields.  It will come as no surprise if several team members are leading similar history making expeditions in the future. Leighton, the head MT, taught me about what causes bad data  pings in the multibeam sonar- in this case, the biggest issue  was bubbles from rough weather turbulence- and how to  remove them. The depths we encountered at Tamu Massif   ranged from 1500m over top of seamounts to 7000m at the  deepest parts.  We crossed the Mariana Trench  to get to Guam, and it was very interesting to look at how  quickly the water depths changed moving away from the  subduction zone.  I have gained more knowledge and sea experience than I can put into words.  There is no book that can teach what I have learned from being out here on the R/V Falkor, and I would not have done any of this without the Schmidt Ocean Institute Student Opportunity Program.  The program offers to anyone who is interested and willing to push themselves beyond their comfort level a once in a lifetime experience to participate in cutting edge research, gain some time on the seas, and meet individuals from all over the world. This is the multibeam sonar screen which I and the other  student scientists had to monitor around the clock for the entire cruise,  minus a two day break  when we passed by a small island owned by Japan.  We weren’t able to collect data there due to EEZ regulations. Paul, the Chief Officer on Falkor, was one of the guy who deployed Maggied the Magnetometer. Maggie was out the time except for when we had to pull her in due to bad weather from Typhoon Champi and a massive low pressure system up in the Arctic and also when passing Japan's EEZ at the end of the cruise. Two separate magetometers were used, and both of them were attacked by sharks. Nobody saw the sharks, however, because Maggie had to be towed 300m behind Falkor to avoid interference from all the metal on the ship. One of the best parts of this expedition has been getting to know the Falkor’s crew. They are highly trained individuals, and it has been a pleasure to observe and shadow them in their daily running of the ship.  I am so grateful they have been willing to teach me new skills, as well as help me volunteer my time in the different departments aboard Falkor. They have let me look over their shoulders as I ask many, many questions.  Their patience has been much appreciated and has allowed me to gain an understanding of how the bridge manages the other departments and makes decisions, how the engineers maintain Falkor’s engines and generators, how the purser manages the administrative paperwork including international legalities, and how the deckhands and stewardesses maintain Falkor’s interior and exterior to ensure safety. I have worked the closest with the marine technicians who oversee and run the scientific data systems on board. Leighton Rolley, Lead Marine Technician, has taught me how to plan multi-beam sonar surveys and how to process the raw data collected from Tamu Massif.  These valuable science skills are best taught via a hands-on experience, and I was able to learn right alongside other student scientists. We were lucky we didn't lose the second magenetometer. The shark almost bit through the cable that was used to tow it! The MTs pulled out many tooth fragments from the hard plastic and rubber on Maggie; there's no doubt that, had she been animate, Maggie would have been a goner. This is a shot of students interacting virtually with Dr. Seger aboard Falkor. We connected with over 4,000 individuals from three countries. I was taught and then allowed to give several tours and Q&A sessions with students from Texas and California which taught me skills that will be useful in presenting my research to the public. I also participated in the outreach of the expedition with Suraida Nanez-James, our multimedia journalist aboard the Falkor.  She allowed me to assist in live connections with students and teachers from around the world. I was able to share what I did throughout my shifts as a watchstander and give the students and teachers from Texas and California a virtual tour of Falkor, as well as explain the science that we were conducting.  It was wonderful answering the student’s questions and interacting with them from the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  I hope that I inspired some of them to consider a career in marine science or oceanography. For me, this was a great introduction into science communication and community engagement, something I had not considered to be such an essential part of conducting research.  These outreach events will be instrumental throughout my career training as I engage and communicate my own research to the public. Suraida and me caught in action giving a virtual tour. This expedition is something that I will never forget.  I return home with a new found appreciation of science and life at sea.  Everything I have gained will be instrumental in both my personal and my professional life, and I have a rekindled inspiration to continue exploring and researching our marine environment. Thank you to the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the Falkor’s crew, and Science Team Sager for being part of one of the best times of my life as well as Harte Research Institute and Dr. Gibeaut for allowing me to go!  I got to see plenty of sunrises in the hour between the end of my watch and breakfast. This is a shot of my favorite one. The sky looked like it was covered in cotton candy. Another highlight which I have no pictures of was the night Dr. Seger, who is also an astronomer,  gave a star tour. It was a perfectly clear, calm night and the bridge shut off the deck lights. I cannot describe how many starts we were able to see. The Milky Way even reflected off of the water; it was a sight I will never forget and may never see again since it is nearly impossible to find zero light pollution on land.

Notes from the Field: Student Rachel Edwards Writes from the R/V Falcor     By Rachel Edwards            Tamu Massif is located within the Shatsky rise near Japan. Image courtesy of Schmidt Ocean Institute http://www.schmidtocean.org/story/show/4551 As we near the end of our journey to Tamu Massif, the expedition to explore the “World’s Largest Single Volcano,” I thought I’d share the learning opportunities I’ve had aboard the R/V Falkor.  At home, I have a quote on my desk that reads “Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it.” This epitomizes my experience as a Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) student opportunity recipient.  Before boarding the Falkor, my knowledge and understanding of geophysics, volcanoes, and how a scientific vessel worked was very limited, but the SOI program offered me the chance to gain knowledge through a hands-on field experience of a lifetime.  The first couple of days took some adjusting as I figured out a routine and my purpose on the R/V Falkor. Ship life is very different from my on-shore life, but the good thing about being on a ship is that making friends is easy since we live, work, eat and have fun together. My schedule is now set and consists of two shifts as a watchstander from 3-6 AM and 3-6 PM where I and my partner am stationed in the control room, keeping a log of specific information in case something goes wrong or the equipment stops working during the surveys. I am also able to see the data streaming in live as we map Tamu Massif and gather information on magnetic anomalies.  Eating, homework, naps/sleep, plus some down time with the science team and the crew when time allows is also part of my routine. After almost four weeks of surveying Tamu Massif, including detours and course changes to avoid bad weather, I’ve learned much sea life. Additionally, learning how technology and equipment on the Falkor function in order to collect good data has been a huge experience. A highlight of this trip for me has been learning how to use the tools needed to address the most fascinating questions in oceanography - in this case the big question is how did Tamu Massif form? Proposed cruise survey plan. Image courtesy of Schmidt Ocean Institute http://www.schmidtocean.org/story/show/4551 As part of the program, students are expected to learn and understand the research being conducted. I am naturally inquisitive, so I find it easy to ask lots of questions to the crew and the science team. The Falkor’s Lead Marine Technician, Leighton Rolley, has been a great mentor in helping me see and participate in different parts of ship life from ship maintenance to learning how to use the science equipment on board such as the Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) that measures salinity and temperature. These parameters affect the speed of sound through water which affects the bathymetric data readings. Leighton is also testing my computing skills, very necessary in this field, through “homework” assignments that include determining across-track and along-track widths and resolutions of the multi-beam echo sounder data in relation to factors such as water depth and ship speed. One of the best opportunities is being able to network with scientists and other university students on board. My knowledge of volcanos, geophysics, and data collection has increased dramatically since I’m able to learn directly from the experts in the field. The next best experience on this expedition is seeing so many different things. Besides the science, I saw bioluminescent jellyfish for the first time, flying fish, and some fantastic sunsets and sunrises in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. These make you realize just how enormous our world is and how small we are; there are so many more places to see, people to meet, and things to learn. This expedition has inspired me to continue exploring the world around me, especially the oceans. I highly encourage anyone even slightly interested to apply for the student opportunity. It is literally an experience of a lifetime, and it will push you beyond your comfort zone.  As Captain Bernd says, “Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Notes From the Field: Student Rachel Edwards Writes From a 5 Week Pacific Cruise Onboard the R/V Falkor                  I am the very fortunate recipient of Schmidt Ocean Institute’s (SOI) Student Opportunity aboard R/V Falkor. This particular cruise is exploring Shatsky Rise’s magnetic anomalies using a magnetometer and mapping the bathymetry using a multi-beam echo-sounder. Shatsky Rise is located about 1,000 miles east of Japan and is home to Tamu Massif, the world’s largest single volcano with an area comparable to that of New Mexico. Figure 1: On the R/V Falkor in Honolulu's Port 34. As the selected student, I am neither part of the crew or the scientific team, but I am able to participate in all facets of the expedition. I offer my perspective of the science being conducted as well as what life is like aboard the Falkor by contributing to SOI’s blogs. This experience has been a great opportunity to immerse myself in the world of geophysics and learn about topics I have never studied before. We have been at sea for about ten days, and I have accrued many educational and life experiences that I never would have acquired at home. Most notably, I had never seen the Pacific Ocean before nor had I been on a ship overnight. Both of those are firmly crossed off the bucket list seeing as how, at the end of this cruise, I will have spent five weeks in the middle of the Pacific! Daily life on the ship is fairly routine now that we have worked out most of the kinks. There are eight students on board, mostly from the University of Houston, where our Chief Scientist, Dr. Will Sager, teaches and conducts research. One of his former students, a professor of geophysics at Texas A&M University, also sent one of her PhD students to be part of the science team. Figure 2: The control room where all the magic happens. There are four, three hour, twice daily shifts in which two students stand watch. My shifts are from 3 to 6 AM and PM. Watch keepers sit in the control room (Fig. 2) and record speed, course over ground, latitude and longitude coordinates of the Falkor, water depth and magnetometer depth every half hour on the hour. I have been fortunate to tag along with the crew and ask them various questions about what they do on Falkor and how they do it. So far, I have toured the engine room, the bridge, and the deck. The engine room generates the power to move us through the water as well as offer electricity and air conditioning to the interior of the ship. Falkor was previously a fisheries protection vessel under the name Seefalke. When purchased by SOI in 2012, the interior was refitted to make her suitable as a research vessel. The engine was not refitted at that time which now keeps the engineers and fitters busy! Three engineers work round the clock with shifts of eight hours each. At present, one of the four generators on board is getting refit which takes up the time of a fourth engineer. They are aided by two fitters who have experience with welding and working on engines. If the engine room is the heart of the ship, the bridge is her brain. This is where the captain, chief officer, and navigational officer work. Located near the top, the bridge has a multitude of controls used to control the heading and speed of the ship. Windows are constructed to have a 180 degree angle, giving officers the best perspective to detect any potential hazards while at sea. Night vision is also preserved by complete darkness or by only using red lights throughout the nightshift. Deck hands work incredibly hard to keep Falkor in top shape. In the words of Captain Bernd Buchner, a “clean ship is a safe ship.” Any leak or signs of rust are dealt with and fixed immediately in order to maintain the integrity of the ship. I spent several day assisting the deck hands clean the ballast and freshwater tanks. Residue in these areas builds up on the tank floors and walls and has to be scrubbed off twice a year. My job comprised of holding the spotlight so they could see exactly where they needed to scrub. Figure 3: After they no longer needed the spotlight to scrub the freshwater tank, I watched from above (you can see my feet) as Lars and Henrik finished the job. Marine technicians are those that are in charge of keeping the scientific equipment on board running accurately. They also are in charge of deploying any science equipment that is necessary for a particular cruise such as Maggie the Magnetometer. It was the first time they had deployed that particular piece of equipment, so students just observed as Maggie was deployed. The Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) is deployed daily, and I have been allowed to both observe and help deploy this equipment. An XBT is used to collect water temperature and a depth of up to 1,000m. Since the speed of sound varies as a function of temperature, the XBT’s temperature profile is inputted into the multi-beam data processor in order to make our sonar measurements more accurate. Figure 4: Talking to Leighton the Marine Tech while holding a deployed XBT. Figure 5: Lars and Paul help deploy Maggie the Magnetometer. Very unexpectedly and unrelated to my acceptance to this expedition is media journalist/outreach coordinator Suraida Nanez-James. She is a TAMUCC alumnus and was a previous researcher at Harte! Suraida was one of the first people I met on board and much to my surprise she was wearing a Corpus Christi t-shirt. She now works at the Texas State Aquarium as the Manager for Distance Learning and Outreach. She conducts outreach by way of live connections to schools around the United States, and I help her with some of them. This is a picture of us after crossing the International Date Line. Captain Bernd held a ceremony marking nearly all of the scientific crew and several of the ship’s crew into the Domain of the Golden Dragon. Suraida is wonderful to work with, and Harte should be proud to have been instrumental in the training of such a scientist! Figure 6: Suraida and me, the newest members of the Domain of the Golden Dragon This cruise has been a wonderful, once in a lifetime learning and personal experience. I’ve met people from around the world who I now call friends and future colleagues. A million thanks to Dr. Jim Gibeaut, my advisor, for giving me the time to take advantage of such a great opportunity and to Harte for sponsoring my travel. I am more grateful than I can express. Please also check out SOI’s website for updates and info into the science that is going on: http://www.schmidtocean.org/story/show/4551. Figure 7: The sunrises, sunsets, and stars viewable from sea are undoubtedly a highlight of this expedition and a great way to start and end my day.

Beach Surveying with Cunningham Middle School Students                  MS students Melinda Martinez and Michael Rittenhouse assisted Tiffany Caudle from the Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin on October 1, 2015 to engage Cunningham Middle School students in the study of their natural environment. Cunningham Middle School is one of many schools along the Texas coast participating in the Texas High School Monitoring Program sponsored by the Texas General Land Office (GLO). Michael Rittenhouse teaching students how to measure distance of longshore current (Photo credit: Melinda Martinez). Students work together to gain a better understanding of dune and beach dynamics on the Texas coast. They learned how to measure the beach-dune topography, map vegetation and shorelines, and observe coastal processes such as wind speed and direction, wave height and period, and longshore transport. Students make several trips throughout the year continuously monitoring specific areas along the barrier island to help contribute to a long-term study of shoreline change along the Texas Gulf coast. Tiffany Caudle teaching students how to measure the changes in topography using the equipment (Photo credit: Melinda Martinez). Students from Cunningham participated in a new beach survey on October 1st near Whitecap Blvd. on North Padre island. The new profile is the only one on North Padre island that traverses a sea wall and will provide the students a different perspective on how beach topography changes with sea walls. The study area is also closely monitored by the Texas GLO. Data collected from the student’s efforts is valuable for coastal communities and public awareness. New beach survey along the sea wall (Photo credit: Melinda Martinez).

Gayanilo elected co-chair of DataONE User's Group                  Felimon Gayanilo.  Felimon Gayanilo, Systems Architect with Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi was recently nominated and eventually elected to co-chair the DataONE User’s Group (DUG) with Plato Smith of the University of New Mexico during the last DUG Meeting in Asilomar, CA (July 12-13, 2015). The NSF-funded Data Observation Network for Earth (DataONE) will ensure the preservation, access, use and reuse of multi-scale, multi-discipline, and multi-national Earth observational science data via cyberinfrastucture elements and a broad education and outreach program. One way for DataONE to engage its community of partners is through working groups and DataONE User’s Group (DUG). The DUG is the worldwide community of Earth observation data authors, users and stakeholders that makeup the DataONE partnership communities. It represents the needs and interest of the community and provide guidance that facilitates DataONE in achieving its goals. Mr. Gayanilo and Dr. Smith will serve for two years (2015-2017) before new co-chairs are selected from the growing number of members where major data centers that may include, among others, the National Centers for Environmental Information of NOAA. The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC) of Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi is working towards becoming a member node of this network.