Grain Size Distributions across the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico: 

A Field Exercise in Coastal Geology for

Graduate/Undergraduate Oceanography Students

Amy L. Spaziani^1,2 and Gregory W. Stone^1,2

¹Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University,

218A Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex, Baton Rouge, Louisiana  70803

²Coastal Studies Institute, Louisiana State University,

216 Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex, Baton Rouge, Louisiana  70803

ABSTRACT

Students of the Spring 2008 Coastal Morphodynamics course, a lower-level graduate/advanced undergraduate course (4000-level) at Louisiana State University (LSU), participated in a weekend trip across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico to investigate beach morphology and processes.  At each stop, a group of students were required to take a surface sample along several transects of the beach.  Each transect consisted of a foredune sample, a midtide sample, and a step (lower beach/nearshore) sample.  Each group was assigned a different beach location, and these samples were taken back to the Coastal Morphodynamic Laboratory in the Coastal Studies Institute at LSU for analysis.  Students analyzed the granulometry of their assigned beach, and along with measured topographic profiles of each beach transect, and raw grain size data, all information was put on a file transfer protocol (FTP) site for all students to access.  The students were then asked to provide a 1-2 page summary and interpretation of the results of the exercise, discussing the grain size distributions along their assigned beach profiles, as well as the overall distribution across the northeastern Gulf Coast.  This traditional technique in granulometry provided a unique hands-on opportunity for students in various disciplines of oceanography as initiated by the seminal works of Willard Bascom in Half Moon Bay, California.  Students observed the distribution of grain sizes on both natural and restored beaches and quickly learned to distinguish different features of beaches.  In addition, students discussed trends in surficial sediments across the northeastern Gulf, relating a small scale study (the assigned beach) to a larger, regional study (compiled data of the entire class).  This exercise helped establish a firm understanding of Gulf Coast geology and beach processes and sedimentology.

Spaziani, A. L., and G. W. Stone, 2009, Grain size distributions across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico:  A field exercise in coastal geology for graduate/undergraduate oceanography students:  Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 59, p. 711-718.

AAPG Search and Discover Article #90093 © 2009 GCAGS 59th Annual Meeting, Shreveport, Louisiana