SPCMSC Scientists to Investigate Geology of Pinellas County, Florida Barrier Islands

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The barrier islands of the Pinellas County coast are among the most dynamic in the world, providing an ideal natural laboratory to study how changes in sediment availability and sea-level rise impact island morphology on the scale of decades to centuries. As part of his Mendenhall fellowship, SPCMSC Research Geologist Daniel Ciarletta, in conjunction with scientists working on the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux project, will investigate the past evolution of the Pinellas barrier islands using computer models informed by real-world geology. Research will take place at Anclote Key Preserve State Park, Honeymoon and Caladesi Island State Parks, and Fort De Soto Park. The primary objective of the work is to quantify rates of coastal change that occurred prior to the 20th century, which will provide a baseline to predict future island evolution. To inform model simulations of the Pinellas barriers, field data to be acquired include ground-penetrating radar profiles to determine the structure of the subsurface, and sediment cores to analyze stratigraphy and sedimentology. Select sediment samples will be sent to the Luminescence Dating Laboratory at the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center in Denver, CO, to provide estimates of age.