USGS scientists travel to the Rockaways in New York to conduct shoreface geophysical survey

By St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center September 19, 2019

A shoreface geophysical survey will take place from 23 September to 15 October 2019 along Rockaway Beach, NY. The Rockaways are comprised of National Park Service (NPS) lands, public beaches, and the private community of Breezy Point, all of which were impacted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

The work is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and supports an ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of post-Sandy coastal restoration projects. The objective of the field effort is to measure seafloor elevations and sub-seafloor geology in water depths of 0 to ~15 m in order to quantify spatial changes in shoreface sediment availability. The crew will use two personal watercraft (PWC) equipped with echosounders to map very shallow surf zone seafloor elevations and a high-resolution multibeam bathymetry system to map seafloor elevations out to ~2km offshore. Shoreface geology will be mapped using an Edgetech 512i which will be launched from the beach and then subsequently towed by SPCMSC Research Vessel (R/V) Sallenger. This survey is the first of three surveys planned as part of the project.

SPCMSC personnel involved in the survey include Julie Bernier (Geologist), Daniel Ciarletta (Research Geologist, Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow), Nancy DeWitt (Geologist), Andrew Farmer (CNT Scientist), Jennifer Miselis (Research Geologist, Principal Investigator), BJ Reynolds (Engineering Technician), Chelsea Stalk (CNT Researcher), Joseph Terrano (CNT Researcher), Emily Wei (CNT Research Scientist) and Hunter Wilcox (CNT Technician). Partners include the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF); the National Park Service (NPS); and New York City Parks (NYC Parks).

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