October 28, 2009

UNC CSI Assists in Shoreline Stabilization Study

North Carolina has over 5000 miles of estuarine shoreline, many of which are experiencing significant erosion at an average of over 20 feet a year in some places.  UNC Coastal Studies is participating in a multi-disciplinary research project to examine the ecosystem structure and function associated with bulkheaded shorelines, the predominant shoreline stabilization method in North Carolina.  This research is being conducted in a partnership with NOAA, NC NERR, UNC Chapel Hill and Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET). 

Recently UNC CSI collected sediment samples from six locations within Kitty Hawk Bay. The study sites were chosen to have only marsh grass or natural stabilization, only bulkheads or man-made stabilization, or a combination of the two.  Coring was used to collect the sediment, which will be tested for nitrification and chlorophyll levels.  The results from these samples will be included in part of a larger study concerning the environmental effects of bulkheads on estuarine shoreline environments. 
>>MORE INFORMATION

October 19, 2009

Izzy’s Inlet Shoreline Recovery Study Completed

A multi-year study monitoring the restoration of the Izzy Inlet area of Hatteras Island has recently been completed.  The results of this study found the sandy ocean beach ecosystem had recovered quickly from devestation caused by Hurricane Isabel, while the sound-front ecosystem was extremely slow to recover.  The results from studying both plant and animal communities found that in future restoration efforts the majority of resources should be used to restore the sound side ecosystem. 

Experiments were also conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of restoration efforts in regards to plant species and soil nutrients.The results of these experiments suggest alternative methods for restoration of barrier island plant communities.  A PDF version of the complete report can be seen here: 
>>IZZY'S INLET REPORT
>>MORE INFORMATION

October 9, 2009

Super Transponder Run Completed

UNC Coastal Studies Institute recently completed a calibration of the Coastal Ocean Radar (CODAR) receive antenna located at the Field Research Facility in Duck.  The Codar system measures both speed and direction of ocean surface currents (approximately the top 2-3 meters of the water column) by measuring the doppler shift in a reflected electromagnetic wave caused by the motion of the sea surface, that was transmitted at a known frequency.  The receive antennae was recently relocated to attempt to solve a possible distortion problem caused by conductors on the research pier itself. Moving the receive antenna requires a re-calibration of the system that measures the electromagnetic distortion in the new antenna location.

To calibrate the system, a transponder unit was used to send a signal back to the receive antennae from a semicircle traversed around the antenna at a radius of 2 km with a jetski.  The GPS coordinates are paired with the transmit signal at each location to knit together a calibration “pattern” specific to the receive antenna location and the conductors that interfere with the signal. 

Data from CODAR systems up and down the coast provide scientists, the coast guard, and sailors with the most up to date surface currents. The radars are maintained by a multi university partnership which includes UNC-CH.  By combining data from multiple CODAR stations, the Coast Guard can refine their search for missing persons by considering the direction and speed of currents off the coast.  You can see the most up to date current data at: http://nccoos.org/platforms/hfradar.

October 1, 2009

Cape Hatteras Secondary School to Raise Pompano in Aquaculture System

The students of Cape Hatteras Secondary School, under the supervision of UNC-CSI staff, have been raising fish in an aquaculture program that incorporates NC State Curriculum Standards into a hands-on science project.  Beginning in 2007, middle school science students have raised numerous species of fish including black drum, striped bass, and flounder.  Some of these fish have been tagged and released, while others were released onto the oyster reef that has been constructed behind the school. 

The sixth grade class recently collected around 100 pompano during a field trip to the Avon fishing pier.  Students from teachers Tracy Shisler’s and Amber Bradshaw’s classes will raise the pompano and other species throughout the school year in their aquaculture systems.  The pompano were collected from the surf zone on beaches in the Cape Hatteras area using a seine net. 

The high school Ecology and Environmental Studies classes are working with UNC CSI to create curriculum and a polyculture system that would continue student's experience with aquaculture into high school.     

These projects explore the study of ecology, chemistry, biology, engineering and physics in a program that encourages coastal careers in marine science and aquaculture.

September 3, 2009

UNC Coastal Studies Institute and Partners Offer NC Low Impact Development and Green Building Workshop in Currituck County

The UNC Coastal Studies Institute, along with partners from NCSU, NCDENR, EPA and the NC Solar Center are hosting a Low Impact Development (LID) and Green Building Workshop at the Currituck County Extension Center on September 23, 2009.  The workshop will focus on Low Impact Development as an environmentally and economically sustainable approach to stormwater management in coastal North Carolina. 

This workshop will focus on utilizing the 2009 North Carolina LID Guidebook as the basis for what the building community, homeowner associations and local governments need to know to adopt and implement Low Impact Development practices in North Carolina.  Stormwater and its impacts are an ongoing problem in many communities, and this workshop will provide guidance and a manual to assist in overcoming this problem specifically within our state.  A regional case study will accompany the training as well as a CD version of the North Carolina Guidebook and other workshop materials.

The instructors of this workshop include professionals from throughout North Carolina that created the training curriculum for the North Carolina LID Guidebook.  The cost of this workshop is $75 per person or $150 for professionals seeking credit hours.  There are a limited number of scholarships available and the fee includes lunch, refreshments and materials.
>>MORE INFORMATION 

August 17, 2009

UNC-CSI Participates in Second Phase of NOAA's Battle of the Atlantic Expedition

August 9, 2009 marked the beginning of the second leg of a multi-year project to document WWII vessels that were lost in the Battle of the Atlantic.  During the Second World War a naval campaign was waged within sight of the North Carolina Coast.  As many as 80 vessels were lost during this campaign, and hundreds of lives. 

The focus of this project is to research and document historically significant vessels from both Allied and Axis forces.  This expedition will document artifacts, record deterioration and raise awareness about what took place on our coastline during the war.  The vessels studied will not be disturbed, and proper respect will be shown to soldiers' lives lost during battle.

John McCord of the UNC Coastal Studies Institute is assisting NOAA and their partners by documenting and mapping the wrecks using underwater videography.  The first site visited on this leg of the expedition was the British Merchant ship HMT Bedfordshire. 
>>MORE INFORMATION
>>VIDEO

July 30, 2009

UNC CSI Hires Sustainable Engineering in Coastal Environments Program Head

 The University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute (UNC-CSI) has appointed its newest member of the UNC-CSI team, Dr. Billy Edge.  Dr. Edge has accepted a dual appointment position as the head of the Sustainable Engineering in Coastal Environments program and as a professor in the Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering Department at North Carolina State University.  Dr. Edge has experience working with projects all over the world.  He has published over 150 publications, and has presented at numerous conferences both nationally and internationally.  He has conducted extensive research in dynamic coastal processes, marine pollution control, coastal structures, sediment transport, mathematical modeling of natural systems and estuarine analysis.  Dr. Edge is excited to bring these diverse experiences to the shores of North Carolina where he was raised.  As part of UNC-CSI he will investigate the effect of sea level rise on long term construction, the sustainability of infrastructure within coastal environments and long term implications of sea level rise on our coast line through applied research in response to community needs.

July 22, 2009

UNC CSI and Cape Hatteras Secondary School Begin New Research

       
Students from the Cape Hatteras Secondary School have opened a new chapter in their research on oyster reefs.  With the assistance and guidance of the UNC Coastal Studies Institute, the students will construct six - 1 meter square plots of oyster shell and six of limestone marl.  Spat recruitment will be observed and recorded for the two different substrates possibly providing some insight into the most effective way to recruit new oysters.  These plots will provide students in both the middle and highschool with opportuinities to continue research on oysters. 

The students spent hours bagging both oyster shell and limestone marl to prepare for the underwater construction of these plots, which should take place the first week of August.  Constructing the reef is expected to take multiple days with the assistance of students, teachers, UNC CSI employees and parents.  These plots will be constructed within the marine sanctuary located behind the Cape Hatteras Secondary School in an effort to keep data accurate by avoiding harvesting.  This is an ongoing project which will provide students with experience in scientific research while potentially providing important data for oyster restoration efforts. 

July 14, 2009

UNC Coastal Studies Institute - North Carolina Aquariums Snorkeling Program

The UNC Coastal Studies Institute has formed a new partnership with the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island to create a research experience for the Aquarium’s summer camp program.  The campers undergo a snorkeling class at the local YMCA pool instructed by the UNC CSI.  After completion of the calls, they will snorkel a bagged oyster shell reef created by the North Carolina Coastal Federation.  The students will learn scientific data collection methods, and use snorkeling to collect data from a sandy environment and an artificial reef environment.  One of the main focuses of study for this project is the difference in amount of life found in reef ecosystems versus a sandy bottome ecosystem.  Water parameters will also be observed and recorded, as this area is apart of a restoration project there is hope that the reef and vegetation will create cleaner waters. 

As an addition to this program the campers will also assist the Coastal Federation by planting grasses as part of a shoreline restoration project.  The oyster reef provides a bay where natural grasses can once again thrive and help prevent erosion of the shoreline.  This camp runs for three weeks this summer, and the partnership will continue for years to come.  

July 1, 2009

Required Maintenance on Albemarle Sound Monitoring Equipment 

On July 1, 2009 the UNC Coastal Studies Institute and ECU Department of Geological Sciences visited an instrument station in the Albemarle Sound to perform maintenance and repairs.  The “S” ATON supports numerous instruments including a Meteorological package that monitors functions such as wind, rain fall levels, temperature and humidity levels.  An underwater instrument called a Water Quality Module measures salinity, turbidity, temperature, oxygen and chlorophyll levels from 6 feet below the surface of the water.  Also connected to this station is an underwater tripod that holds a vector instrument, which measures current speed and direction and a Flintu, which provides data on turbidity and phytoplankton levels.  These instruments needed some cleaning, battery changes and rewiring. 

Two dives were required to bring up underwater instruments and to clean off barnacles and algae from sensors.  All the data from these instruments is transmitted from a cell phone antennae and the whole station is powered by a solar panel.  These batteries needed to be changed and the charger was tested.  Once all the maintenance was performed the instruments needed to be restarted and reconfigured to send data on a specific time scale.  After a long day on the water some real progress was made towards getting all instruments working seamlessly.    

June 17, 2009  

Coastal Ocean Dynamics Application Radar(CODAR) Antenna Relocated

On June 16 the UNC Coastal Studies Institute, along with UNC Chapel Hill relocated a Coastal Ocean Dynamics Application Radar(CODAR) receiving antenna at the Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility in Duck.  CODAR is a radar system that is used to measure the speed and direction of surface currents.  A transmitting antenna on the north side of the Duck Research Facility Pier sends out a radar wave that travel up to 150 miles across the surface of the ocean and the receiving antenna receives that wave on the south side of the pier. 

Because of the close proximity to the pier, there were concerns of an electromagnetic shadow distorting and reducing the radar waves returning to the receiving antenna.  UNC-CSI and UNC-CH relocated the receiving antenna further from the pier in an attempt to solve this problem.  It was no small task as new cable needed to be pulled and buried, designs were adjusted and the entire antenna was relocated a few hundred yards to the south. 

There are CODAR systems up and down the coast which provide a picture of currents' directions and speeds.  By combining data from multiple CODAR stations, the Coast Guard can refine thier search for missing persons by considering the direction and speed of currents off the coast.  CODAR data also serves practical uses for mariners, watersports enthusiasts and fishermen.  A stronger signal is currently being received, confirming the concerns about electromagnetic shadow.
>>CODAR Data

June 10, 2009 

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler(ADCP) Replaced

On June 4, the UNC Coastal Studies Institute replaced an ADCP instrument from a tripod that was found 40 feet underwater, around a mile off the coast of Kill Devil Hills, NC.  The ADCP uses four acoustic beams to calculate the speed and direction of currents from the sea floor to the surface of the water.  The difference in time and direction of the acoustic signals recieved by the ADCP allows scientists to remove the known doppler shift and use calculations to find the speed and direction of currents.  This instrument can also measure wave height, speed and direction. 

This information could be useful for predicting rip currents, and provide data that will assist in understanding coastal processes.  Recording current ocean data from observing instruments allows scientists to hindcast, or check the accuracy of thier models based on information being observed in the ocean environment.  More accurate wave and current models would lead to better forecasting and marine reports. 

Before the old ADCP could be replaced with one with fresh batteries, the tripod that holds the ADCP in place on the ocean floor needed to be located.  A "pinger", device that produces an audible signal, is used to mark the exact location of the tripod, making it much easier to relocate in the future.  The "pinger" sends out a signal that can be followed using a "pinger gun".  Once the tripod is located, divers enter the water to replace the ADCP.     

A UNC CSI team of three divers and two support staff were able to make the switch in two dives.  This project is a collaboration with UNC Chapel Hill, the United States Army Corps of Engineers and KDH Ocean Rescue.
>>VIDEO CLIP

June 1, 2009

Acoustic Wind Profiler Installed

As part of a state funded project to study wind power potential in NC, Harvey Seim (PI) and his research group at UNC-CH and the UNC Coastal Studies Institute installed a SODAR, or an acoustic wind profiler at the Billy Mitchell airport in Frisco, NC from May 18-22, 2009.  This instrument will collect wind velocity information at a range of heights from about 50 meters above the ground to 200 meters that will help NC decision makers better understand the state's wind power generation potential. 

 Sodar is a type of remote sensing that measures wind profile and vertical turbulence structure of the lower atmosphere.  Sodar stands for sonic detection and ranging.  It is similar to a radar system, except instead of using radio waves, a sodar system uses sound waves.   An acoustic pulse is sent out and the return signal is analyzed to determine wind direction, wind speed and the turbulent character of the atmosphere.  Data collected from a sodar system can be used for wind shear warning, emergency response wind monitoring, sound transmission analyses, atmospheric dispersion studies, wind energy sighting and aircraft vortex monitoring. 

 In this study, sodar is being used to investigate the potential for wind power in this area of North Carolina.  Surface winds can be slowed by friction caused by different terrains.  As height above the surface is increased, local terrain has less effect on the wind.  Areas may have different potential for wind energy based on local terrain, and at different heights that wind potential may also change.  The sodar instrument installed will allow UNC-CSI scientists to view winds at different heights and analyze wind profiles in relation to wind power potential.

 This project is a collaborative effort with the National Park Service, the National Weather Service and the FAA.