MEASURING ACCRETION AND EROSION ON THE COASTLINE OF LITTLE ST. SIMONS ISLAND

This service-learning independent study was conducted with the Center for Coastal Conservation on Little St. Simons Island. I collaborated with Aurora Fowler, the Ecological Coordinator, to monitor accretion and erosion on the northern tip of the island. A permanent time-lapse system was installed in this area and took images of the beach every 30 minutes. We compiled these images into a timelapse video and analyzed the changes in the beach geomorphology. We also installed camera stations at which a photo was taken weekly at 6 different transects, we then used these images to create an elevation profile. The elevation profile was used to view a cross-section of the landscape. In addition to image collection, we processed sediment samples to correlate the sediment composition to the changes in the beach geomorphology.