Time-averaged image from video of beach in Duck, North Carolina

Time-averaged image, or “timex,” created by averaging the intensity of light recorded at each spot, or “pixel,” during a video taken at Duck, North Carolina, on September 1, 2015. Blurred white zones show where waves are breaking. Light band paralleling the shore marks an offshore sandbar. Dark bands extending away from the beach indicate rip channels. Researchers are using these and other video images to improve understanding and computer modeling of beach processes, especially those that change the coast. Image from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility, provided by Jenna Brown, USGS, jennabrown@usgs.gov