THE IMPACT OF PHYSICAL AND MINERALOGICAL PROPERTIES OF INTERTIDAL SANDS AND RESULTANT MICROBIAL ECOLOGY ON THE USE AND MODIFICATION OF LAND DERIVED SUBSTANCES

Beaches are an economic and ecological resource with immeasurable value to coastal communities around the world. Sand of the coastal intertidal zone acts as a filter between the land and the ocean, providing a valuable ecosystem service by trapping dissolved and particulate substances which in turn can be modified and used by microorganisms. Sand particles also provide a medium in which bacteria can live and utilize dissolved and particulate substances. Grain size properties, mineralogy, porosity and permeability of these sands influence how the filter system of the beaches act by the exchange of chemicals between the sand and water column and consequently the microbial ecology of the beach. Understandably, rapid changes in the physiochemical properties of beach sand, such as a renourishment project, will affect the microbial function within the sand. We plan on testing beach sands from several stations along Long Bay, South and North Carolina, for a range of properties to determine how the mineralogical composition and physical properties of sand that influence the biogeochemical and subsequent microbial character of the intertidal sand to use and modify land-derived substances. Given the ecological services and economic value that beaches have for coastal communities, this relatively understudied topic deserves more attention especially in light of the increasing application of beach nourishment as a coastal management measure.