Information about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's development of an instrument called the "flying eyeball" to measure river sand, from 1993-2004.

USGS Sound Waves newsletter article:
“Sedimentologic Engineering in Grand Canyon”
Publications by USGS collaborators:
Buscombe, D., 2008, Estimation of grain size distributions and associated parameters from digital images of sediment: Sedimentary Geology, v. 210, i. 1-2, p. 1-10, doi: 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2008.06.007
Buscombe, D., and Masselink, G., 2009, Grain size information from the statistical properties of digital images of sediment: Sedimentology, v. 56, i. 2, p. 421-438, doi:10.1111/j.1365-3091.2008.00977.x
Full-scale poster image file
Below are publications associated with this project.
2010 weather and aeolian sand-transport data from the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
A universal approximation to grain size from images of non-cohesive sediment
2009 weather and aeolian sand-transport data from the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
2008 Weather and Aeolian Sand-Transport Data from the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
2007 Weather and Aeolian Sand-Transport Data from the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Cobble cam: Grain-size measurements of sand to boulder from digital photographs and autocorrelation analyses
Underwater microscope for measuring spatial and temporal changes in bed-sediment grain size
Field test comparison of an autocorrelation technique for determining grain size using a digital 'beachball' camera versus traditional methods
Measurements of wind, aeolian sand transport, and precipitation in the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona; January 2005 to January 2006
Sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Palisades, Lower Comanche, and Arroyo Grande areas of the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
A simple autocorrelation algorithm for determining grain size from digital images of sediment
- Overview
Information about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's development of an instrument called the "flying eyeball" to measure river sand, from 1993-2004.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.USGS Sound Waves newsletter article:
“Sedimentologic Engineering in Grand Canyon”Publications by USGS collaborators:
Buscombe, D., 2008, Estimation of grain size distributions and associated parameters from digital images of sediment: Sedimentary Geology, v. 210, i. 1-2, p. 1-10, doi: 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2008.06.007
Buscombe, D., and Masselink, G., 2009, Grain size information from the statistical properties of digital images of sediment: Sedimentology, v. 56, i. 2, p. 421-438, doi:10.1111/j.1365-3091.2008.00977.x
- Multimedia
Full-scale poster image file
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 132010 weather and aeolian sand-transport data from the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Measurements of weather parameters and aeolian sand transport were made in 2010 near selected archeological sites in the Colorado River corridor through Grand Canyon, Arizona. Data collected in 2010 indicate event- and seasonal-scale variations in rainfall, wind, temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure. Differences in weather patterns between 2009 and 2010 included a slightly later spring wA universal approximation to grain size from images of non-cohesive sediment
The two-dimensional spectral decomposition of an image of sediment provides a direct statistical estimate, grid-by-number style, of the mean of all intermediate axes of all single particles within the image. We develop and test this new method which, unlike existing techniques, requires neither image processing algorithms for detection and measurement of individual grains, nor calibration. The onl2009 weather and aeolian sand-transport data from the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
This report presents measurements of weather parameters and aeolian sand transport made in 2009 near selected archeological sites in the Colorado River corridor through Grand Canyon, Ariz. The quantitative methods and data discussed here form a basis for monitoring ecosystem processes that affect archeological-site stability. Combined with forthcoming work to evaluate landscape evolution at nearby2008 Weather and Aeolian Sand-Transport Data from the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
This report presents measurements of weather parameters and aeolian (windblown) sand transport made in 2008 near selected archaeological sites in the Colorado River corridor through Grand Canyon, Ariz. The quantitative methods and data discussed here form a basis for monitoring ecosystem processes that affect archeological-site stability. Combined with forthcoming work to evaluate landscape evolut2007 Weather and Aeolian Sand-Transport Data from the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Weather data constitute an integral part of ecosystem monitoring in the Colorado River corridor and are particularly valuable for understanding processes of landscape change that contribute to the stability of archeological sites. Data collected in 2007 are reported from nine weather stations in the Colorado River corridor through Grand Canyon, Ariz. The stations were deployed in February and MarcCobble cam: Grain-size measurements of sand to boulder from digital photographs and autocorrelation analyses
A new application of the autocorrelation grain size analysis technique for mixed to coarse sediment settings has been investigated. Photographs of sand- to boulder-sized sediment along the Elwha River delta beach were taken from approximately 1??2 m above the ground surface, and detailed grain size measurements were made from 32 of these sites for calibration and validation. Digital photographs weUnderwater microscope for measuring spatial and temporal changes in bed-sediment grain size
For more than a century, studies of sedimentology and sediment transport have measured bed-sediment grain size by collecting samples and transporting them back to the laboratory for grain-size analysis. This process is slow and expensive. Moreover, most sampling systems are not selective enough to sample only the surficial grains that interact with the flow; samples typically include sediment fromField test comparison of an autocorrelation technique for determining grain size using a digital 'beachball' camera versus traditional methods
This extensive field test of an autocorrelation technique for determining grain size from digital images was conducted using a digital bed-sediment camera, or 'beachball' camera. Using 205 sediment samples and >1200 images from a variety of beaches on the west coast of the US, grain size ranging from sand to granules was measured from field samples using both the autocorrelation technique developeMeasurements of wind, aeolian sand transport, and precipitation in the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona; January 2005 to January 2006
This report presents measurements of aeolian sediment-transport rates, wind speed and direction, and precipitation records from six locations that contain aeolian deposits in the Colorado River corridor through Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Aeolian deposits, many of which contain and preserve archaeological material, are an important part of the Grand Canyon ecosystem. This reSedimentology and stratigraphy of the Palisades, Lower Comanche, and Arroyo Grande areas of the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
This report analyzes various depositional environments in three archaeologically significant areas of the Colorado River corridor in Grand Canyon. Archaeological features are built on and buried by fluvial, aeolian, and locally derived sediment, representing a complex interaction between geologic and cultural history. These analyses provide a basis for determining the potential influence of GlA simple autocorrelation algorithm for determining grain size from digital images of sediment
Autocorrelation between pixels in digital images of sediment can be used to measure average grain size of sediment on the bed, grain-size distribution of bed sediment, and vertical profiles in grain size in a cross-sectional image through a bed. The technique is less sensitive than traditional laboratory analyses to tails of a grain-size distribution, but it offers substantial other advantages: it