Coastal Letters
Table of Contents
Specialty Group Officers
Editor's Comments
Chair's Musing - Paul Gares
Call for Nominations: R. J. Russell Award
Video Release
Video Critiques Wanted
COMA-Sponsored Sessions at AAG in Hawaii
Other Coastal/Marine Related Sessions/Papers at AAG
Student Papers/Poster Competitions & Travel Awards
COMA Slide Compilation Project 2000 (CDROM)
News and Views from Members
Vote for our COMA Logo
Upcoming Conferences
Specialty Group Officers
Paul Gares, Chair
Department of Geography
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC 27858
(252) 328-6084
gegares@ecuvm.cis.ecu.edu
Richard Daniels, Vice Chair
Shorelands/Dept of Ecology
P.O. Box 47690
Olympia, WA 98504
(360) 407-6427
rdan461@ecy.wa.gov
Harry Jol, Secretary-Treasurer
Department of Geography
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
105 Garfield Avenue
Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004
(715) 836-3244
jolhm@uwec.edu
Dawn Wright, Member of the Board of Directors
Department of Geosciences
104 Wilkinson Hall
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-5506
(541) 737-1229
dawn@dusk.geo.orst.edu
Wayne Engstrom, Member of the Board of Directors
Geography Department
California State University
Fullerton, CA 92634-9480
(714) 278-3384
wengstrom@fullerton.edu
Donald Zeigler, Member of the Board of Directors
5584 Herbert Moore Rd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
(804) 683-3841
djz100f@hamlet.bal.odu.edu
Membership Renewal
Don't forget to renew your membership in the Coastal and Marine Geography Specialty Group when you renew your membership with the AAG. Please note if you have a yellow mark on your address label it means your membership has not been renewed.
Editor’s Comments
Harry Jol, Secretary-Treasurer & Rich Daniels, Vice Chair & Co-editor
Musings from the Chair - Paul Gares
As I reach the end of my two years as your chair, I’ve been thinking about things that I could comment about in this column. I’ve realized that I don’t have anything to say. So let me just say goodbye…..
Actually, I have a number of items that I’d like to discuss. There has been much discussion over the winter about the status of the publications of the AAG. I think it might be much ado about nothing. Our President, a physical geographer of great repute, has indicated that he is committed to changing the AAG’s publications. The main criticism seems to be that physical geographers are ill-served by the flagship journal of the Association, The Annals. There are some other criticisms of the status of the publications, but it does seem to me that the crux of the situation is how well all segments of the discipline are served by The Annals. I realize, of course, that there is a lot of validity to the argument that research published by physical or techniques geographers in AAG journals is not widely read by others in their fields which often include persons from other academic disciplines. On the other hand, there is nothing that prevents these researchers from submitting papers that represent broader overviews of their research, presented in a way that other geographers might derive some benefit from the availability of this work. The more complex, detailed work can still be presented in specialized journals. I think that what it may boil down to is that we have been trained as geographers. Most of us have had "history and philosophy of geography" courses at the beginning of our graduate programs that have allowed us to place ourselves in the context of the discipline. We probably didn’t especially enjoy those courses, but we learned a lot in them. Many of us actually relish being geographers rather than geologists or anthropologists. We all complain about how big the annual AAG meeting is, but we still go every year because we enjoy seeing our friends again, but also because we feel a sense of attachment to the group of geographers that attend. What’s more is that in our home departments, we are often more likely to find ourselves teaching introductory geography or map interpretation, or coastal management courses that necessitate that we behave as generalists more than specialists. I, for example, can’t ever see myself proposing a course on aeolian sediment transport dynamics and dune morphology (which would clearly conform to my research expertise) because who would take such a course? There may be some students who would sign up if I was at a big research institution with a coastal geomorphology PhD program, but most of us are not. So, I conclude that most of us have more of an attachment to the discipline of geography than some admit. We should continue to be geographers and support our discipline.
The point about being attached to a discipline is particularly salient to me at this time because I have been involved at East Carolina University in the creation of an interdisciplinary PhD program in Coastal Resource Management. The North Carolina University system Board of Governors has determined that we will not be permitted to offer PhD’s in traditional academic disciplines, but that we can devise interdisciplinary programs not offered at other campuses in the system. ECU has pushed coastal resource management as a program because we perceive that we are close to the coast and should therefore offer such a program. This is an exciting development at our institution, but, at the same time, I wonder about the viability of such interdisciplinary programs. Will a geology department looking for a coastal geologist be willing to hire someone with a coastal resource management PhD with a geosciences concentration rather than someone with a PhD in a geology program? Will a geography department hire someone with a coastal management PhD rather than a geography PhD? Judging from recent searches in our department, the nature of the candidate’s degree will be an issue because we are indeed concerned with whether the candidate can teach the service courses that we must teach in order to pad our FTE numbers and justify our existence. I come back to the fact that it appears to me that there is some advantage to being associated with a specific discipline.
This whole discourse brings me to our own Specialty Group. How? You may be asking yourself. Well, we are the Coastal and Marine Geography Specialty Group. The group formed when individuals who had a variety of interests in oceans realized that they all shared the common thread of the ocean although the specifics of their research interests were different. Early members of the group included geomorphologists, political geographers, resource geographers, recreation geographers among others. I get the impression, listening to the stories told by the early members, that they respected each other sufficiently to listen to presentations on topics that were not especially related to their own work. Why? Because they were geographers, coastal geographers. In recent years, our Specialty Group has gotten away from this interaction between physical, techniques and human geographers. There has been a preponderance of sessions at AAG meetings on coastal geomorphology. I certainly enjoy those sessions immensely, but I regret that we have gotten away from this more cross-disciplinary approach. I do see signs that things might be changing. I had the pleasure of reviewing recently some papers that had been submitted to the Professional Geographer for a special section on the Geography of Oceans that focused mainly on non-physical topics. I also am pleased that the authors of the upcoming chapter on Coastal Geography for the AAG book about the nature of geography include physical, human and techniques geographers. I would take this last opportunity that I have to encourage all geographers interested in topics oceanic to join with others. Come to our paper sessions; come to our business meetings. The only way to strengthen this discipline is to participate. Let us support each other as geographers. I know that it’s a long way to Hawaii, but if you are attending the meetings this year, come around to the coastal sessions.
Call for Nominations: R. J. Russell Award
The R. J. Russell Award is named in honor of Richard Joel Russell (1895-1971). He was Dean of the Graduate School at Louisiana State University for 12 years, an organizer of the Coastal Studies Institute (1954), president of both the Association of American Geographers (1948) and Geological Society of America (1957), and named to the National Academy of Sciences (1959).
Rich Daniels, COMA Vice Chair, announces that nominations for this year’s R. J. Russell Award will be accepted through March 10, 1999. This specialty group award is presented in recognition of an individual’s major contributions to the field of coastal or marine geography. These contributions may be in research, teaching, public service, and/or to the specialty group. Previous awardees include Jess Walker (1991), Filmore Earney (1992), Norby Psuty (1993), Karl Norbstrom (1996), and Doug Sherman (1997). Letters of nomination are accepted from COMA members, but nominees do not have to be members of either the specialty group or the AAG. Contact Rich Daniels (address on page 1) to nominate an individual or for further information.
In the nomination letter please include one paragraph describing the nominees contributions to the field of coastal or marine geography and/or to the special interest group and a list of the nominees relevant publications.
Video Release
A new video is now available that explores the complexities of Washington State's coastal erosion problems. "At Ocean’s Edge: Coastal Change in Southwest Washington" was produced by the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and the U.S. Geological Survey, with assistance from local coastal communities. The 20-minute video visually illustrates erosion problem areas along Southwest Washington’s dynamic coast. Footage shows the forces of nature in action and a variety of scientific methods that are being used to sort out the causes of long-term coastal changes. Also, interviews with scientists, local government officials, and coastal residents help reveal the broad range and complexity of the issues confronting coastal communities and the efforts being made to resolve these issue. For a copy of the video, send a $5 check or money order to Department of Ecology, Fiscal Office, Attn: Cashier Section, P.O. Box 5128, Lacey, WA 98509.
To learn more about coastal erosion in Washington State, point your web browser to:
www.wa.gov/ecology/sea/confluen/conf23i.html#Erodingcoast, or www.wa.gov/ecology/sea/swce/index.html
Video Critiques Wanted
Do you use any videos when teaching coastal or marine geography? (e.g. Beach: A River of Sand). On Don Ziegler's suggestion, the next time you show or view a caostal or marine video, take a moment to jot down its title, brief summary, strengths and weaknesses. Send this information to the Newsletter editors. We will include a column in upcoming newsletters as well as have it posted on the COMA web site.
COMA-Sponsored Sessions at AAG in Hawaii
Wednesday, March 24
95. Geography in America: Physical Geography
Organizer:
Cort J. Willmott, University of Delaware and Gary Gaile, University of Colorado-BoulderChair: William L. Graf, Arizona State University
1:40 Norb Psuty, Phil Steinberg, and Dawn Wright are near completion of the Coastal and Marine Geography chapter for the Gaile and Wilmott volume, "Geography in America at the Dawn of the 21st Century. All 3 of them will be giving a presentation together, entitled "Coastal and Marine Geography: More Than Just Flotsam and Jetsam". COMA members should come and cheer them on.
Thursday, March 25
196. Coastal Geomorphology I
(Sponsored by Coastal and Marine Specialty Group)Organizer: Paul A. Gares, East Carolina University
Chair: Paul A. Gares, East Carolina University
7:00 Wayne N. Engstrom, California State Univ-Fullerton, Nineteenth Century Fluvival Sediment Supply to San Pedro Littoral Cell
7:20 Douglas J. Sherman, University of Southern California, Burton Jones, University of Southern California, Suspended Sediments from an Opportunistic Sand Disposal Project, Carlsbad, California
7:40 Michael Craghan, Rutgers University, It Can't Happen Here: Storm Surge Sedimentation in Developed Areas
8:00 John F. Dobosiewicz, Rutgers University, Coastal Flood Hazard Mapping in an Urban Estuary
8:20 James R. Allen, US Geological Survey, Monitoring Protocols for Shoreline Change, Cape Cod National Seashore
225. Coastal Geomorphology II
(Sponsored by Coastal and Marine Specialty Group)Organizer: Paul A. Gares, East Carolina University
Chair: Douglas J. Sherman, University of Southern California
9:00 Diane Horn, Birkbeck College, Tom Baldock, University of Plymouth, Near Surface Hydraulic Gradients in a Sand Beach: Implications for Swash Zone Sediment Transport
9:20 Gregory W. Stone, Louisiana State University, The Importance of Cyclogenesis on the Short-Term Evolution of Gulf Coast Barriers
9:40 David A. Pepper, Louisiana State University, Gregory W. Stone, Louisiana State University, Ping Wang, Louisiana State University, Bottom Boundary Layer Parameters and Predicted Sediment Transport
10:00 Norbert P. Psuty, Rutgers University, Adam Levy, Rutgers University, Natalie Pitchford, Rutgers University, Morphosedimentary Units in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
10:20 Brian D. Andrews, East Carolina University, Paul A. Gares, East Carolina University, GIS Analysis of Volumetric Change in Coastal Dunes: Coquina Beach, North Carolina
313. Global Change and the Coast: Coastal Hazards and Changing Management Regimes
(Sponsored by Coastal and Marine, Human Dimensions of Global Change, and Hazards Specialty Groups)Organizer: Suzanne C. Moser, Harvard University
Chair: Dawn J. Wright, Oregon State University
4:15 Frederick Nelson, University of Delaware, H. Jesse Walker, Louisiana State University, Global Change and the Coastline of Arctic Alaska
4:35 Dawn J. Wright, Oregon State University, A Geospatial Clearinghouse for the Oregon Coast: Implications for Hazard Assessment
4:55 Holly Morehouse Garriga, Clark University, Samuel J. Ratick, Clark University, Creating Indices of Vulnerability to Severe Coastal Storms Along the North Shore of Boston
5:15 George E. Clark, Clark University, Hazards Success Stories: Explaning Extraordinary Coping Ability
5:35 Suzanne C. Moser, Harvard University, Insuring Against the Inevitable: Can the National Flood Insurance Program Accommodate Changes in Coastal Hazard Regimes?
336.
Coastal and Marine Specialty Group Business MeetingChair:
Paul A. Gares, East Carolina University6:15 pm to 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 26
592. Critical Approaches to Coastal and Marine Conservation for the 21st Century
(Sponsored by Cultural Ecology Specialty Group)Organizers: Carolyn Trist, University of California-Berkeley, Emily Young, University of Arizona
Chairs: Carolyn Trist, University of California-Berkeley, Emily Young, University of Arizona
1:00 Becky Mansfield, University of Oregon, Globalization, State Regulation, and Regional Specificity in the North Pacific
1:20 Lara A. Davis, University of Washington, Rethinking Nature Through the Culture of Fishing: The Case of Southern India and the Pacific Northwest
1:40 Craig C. Thorburn, Univ of California-Los Angeles, Who's in Charge Here? Coastal and Marine Resource Management Institutions in the Kei Islands, Indonesia
2:00 Carolyn Trist, University of California-Berkeley, Global Alliances and Local Resistance in an Eastern Caribbean Marine Protected Area
2:20 Emily Young, University of Arizona, Development and Conservation of Coastal Marine Areas: Issues for the 21st Century
613. Shoreline Monitoring and Hazard Identification on the US West Coast
(Sponsored by Coastal and Marine Specialty Group)Organizer: Richard C. Daniels, Washington State Dept of Ecology
Chair: Richard C. Daniels, Washington State Dept of Ecology
3:00 Harry M. Jol, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Curt Peterson, Portland State University, Sandy Vanderburgh, Univ College of the Fraser Valley, Jim Phipps, Grays Harbour College, Ground Penetrating Radar as a Regional Coastal Mapping Tool
3:20 Richard C. Daniels, Washington State Dept of Ecology, Historical Shoreline Change Rates Within the Columbia River Littoral Cell
3:40 Peter Ruggiero, Washington Department of Ecology, George Kaminsky, Washington Department of Ecology, Morphology Monitoring of the Columbia River Littoral Cell
4:00 J.J. Marra, Shoreland Solutions, Processed-Based Methodology for Chronic Coastal Natural Hazard Assessment
Other Coastal and Marine Related Sessions/Papers
Wednesday, March 24
91. Poster Session: GIS, Mapping, and Geomorphology
(1:00 – 2:40)Andreas C.W. Baas, University of Southern California, J.P. McDermott, University of Southern California, Morphodynamics of Berm Formation on Beach Cusps
Lawrence R. Handley, National Wetlands Research Center, Catherine M. Lockwood, Chadron State University, Impacts of Coastal Storms: A WETMAAP Perspective
Michael Nielsen, University of Arizona, Remote Sensing as a Novel Technique for Detecting Paleoshorelines: A Study of Lake Cochise, Arizona
Brian Thayer, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Harry M. Jol, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, George Kaminsky, Washington Department of Ecology, Peter Ruggiero, Washington Department of Ecology, Detailed Ground Penetrating Radar Profiles Showing Coastline Depositional Rates, Washington
97. The Coastal System: Dunes, Reefs, and Sea Level Change
Chair:
Kevin E. Parnell, University of Auckland1:00 Craig F. Millar, University of Auckland, Stacey O. Devine, University of Auckland, Artificial Reef Creation in New Zealand
1:20 Samantha W. Kaplan, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Holocene Sedimentary, Sea Level, and Climatic History of South Florida
1:40 Angela Johnson, University of Leicester, Inputs and Fluxes of Moisture and Sea Spray in a Coastal Dune System
2:00 Kevin E. Parnell, University of Auckland, Peter L. Hosking, University of Auckland, Scott L. Nichol, University of Auckland, Long Term Monitoring of Beaches, Dunes, and Parengarenga, New Zealand
Organizers: Steve Olive, Coastal Zone Management Program, Randall Rush, Hawaii Department of Health, Carolyn Stewart, Coastal Zone Management Program
Chair: Steve Olive, Coastal Zone Management Program
1:00 Carolyn Stewart, Coastal Zone Management Program, Initiatives to Promote Partnership and Community-Based Watershed Management in Hawaii
1:20 Randall Rush, Hawaii Department of Health, Hawaii Nonpoint Source Pollution Management – A Geographic Perspective
1:40 Christina Kemmer, Ala Wai Canal Watershed Improvement Project, Malama Kakou, a Model for the Nation: Enhancing Cultural Values and Water Quality in the Ala Wai Canal Watershed Through Community-Led Projects
2:00 Wes Nohara, Maui Land and Pine, Applying Watershed Management Principles in West Maui
2:20 Christine Woolaway, University of Hawaii, The Role of the Kailua Bay Advisory Council Assist Communities within the Watersheds of Waimanalo, Kailua, and Kaneoche to Improve the Water Quality
Thursday, March 25
206. Hawaii and the Pacific: History and Environment
Chair:
Jeffrey A. Gritzner, University of Montana7:40 H. Jesse Walker, Louisiana State University, Warren Grabau, Army Corps of Engineers (Retired), the use of Landforms as Metaphors in Hawaiian
Friday, March 26
382. Poster Session: Biogeography, Climate, and Environmental
(9:00 am to 10:40 am)Patrick Lehodey, Secretariat/Pacific Community, Jean-Michel Andre, ORSTOM, Michel Bertignac, Secretariat/Pacific Community, Marie-Helene Radenac, LODYC, Christophe Menkes, LODYC, Yves Dandonneau, LODYC, The 1997-98 El Nino and Surface Tuna Fisheries in the Western Pacific
Robert V. Rohli, Kent State University, Anthony J. Vega, Clarion University, Michael R. Binkley, Kent State University, Stephen D. Britton, Kent State University, Heather E. Heckman, Kent State University, James M. Jenkins, Kent State University, Yuichi Ono, Kent State University, Deborah M. Sheeler, Kent State University, Great Lakes Regional Circulation Patterns and Association to Atmospheric Teleconnections
Brenda K. Schladweiler, University of Wyoming, Catherine P. Skinner, University of Wyoming, George F. Vance, University of Wyoming, Selenium Concentration in Wetland and Riparian Receptors at Fort Carson, Colorado
435. Human Impacts in Geomorphology III
(Sponsored by Geomorphology Specialty Group)Organizers: Richard A. Marston, University of Wyoming, Jon Harbor, Purdue University
Chair: Joann Mossa, University of Florida
1:25 Robert Bourman, University of South Australia, Human Impcat on Dynamic Landform Change in the Murray Mouth Estuary of Australia
1:45 Paul A. Gares, East Carolina University, Michael C. Slattery, Texas Christian University, Jonathan Phillips, Texas A&M University, Aeolian Sediment Transport on North Carolina Coastal Plain Croplands
461. Illustrated Paper Session: Human Impacts in Geomorphology IV
(Sponsored by Geomorphology Specialty Group)Organizers: Jon Harbor, Purdue University, Richard A. Marston, University of Wyoming
Chairs: Jon Harbor, Purdue University, Richard A. Marston, University of Wyoming
3:05 Jennifer Rahn, University of Florida, Human Influenced and Natural Beach Profile Changes in Florida's Panhandle
Saturday, March 27
550. Living Hawaii Geographies IV: Marine Issues
(9:00 – 10:40)Organizer: Joseph R. Morgan, University of Hawaii
Chair: Joseph R. Morgan, University of Hawaii
Panelists: Joseph R. Morgan, University of Hawaii, Scott Allen, Law of the Sea Institute, Emily Gardner, University of Hawaii, David A. Tarnas, Hawaii State Legislature
Student Papers/Posters - Please Note
Please note that if you have submitted a paper to the AAG it is not-too-late to sign up for the student merit award ($100) and travel grant application ($100). Read on …
Eligibility. Full-time or part-time undergraduate or graduate students may compete for the student merit award and travel grant if they (1) are the first or sole author of an oral or poster paper concerning coastal or marine geography which they will be presenting at the 1999 annual AAG meeting, (2) attend the COMA business meeting (Thursday, March 25 @ 6:15 pm) and pay $3 dues to become members (if not already), and (3) have completed the application form and accompanying materials and forwarded these to Richard Daniels by March 12. The grants would be awarded to as many as eight students based on the quality of the submitted abstracts (we will include those abstracts already received by those who signed up for the COMA student paper contest). Papers/posters are judged both on content and on the quality of the presentation.
Instructions: Mail or E-mail (rdan461@ECY.WA.GOV) your abstract and form below to:
Richard C. Daniels
Department of Ecology
Coastal Monitoring and Analysis Program
P.O. Box 47600
Olympia, WA 98504-7600
Richard Daniels must receive your materials by March 12, 1999
Name _______________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________________
Email address ______________________________________________
Are you a Ph.D., M.A./M.S., or undergraduate student? ______
In what year of your program? ______________________________
Thesis/project advisor _____________________________________
Are you a member of the AAG? _______________________________
Are you a member of the Coastal and Marine Specialty Group? ____________________
Provide a brief description of the significance of your paper to coastal and/or marine geography, and attach a hard copy of your abstract.
COMA Slide Compilation Project 2000 (CDROM)
Please note: a prototype CD-ROM will be available for viewing at Hawaii. Click here for a preview of the CDROMs interface
This note is a reminder about the Coastal and Marine Specialty Group SLIDE COMPILATION PROJECT 2000.
Coastal and marine geographers work in a variety of marvelous settings on a diversity of research topics, and have unique experiences and documentation of those studies. The exceptional quality of many of our colleague's slides at the last meeting (1997) inspired Wayne Engstrom and Joann Mossa to begin a slide compilation project for and from our membership. Currently, Wayne and Rich Daniels are the primary contacts for the project. If successful, it is anticipated that this will be of great benefit to current and future teachers in the profession, and has potential for providing some small profits back to our specialty group.
For this project to succeed, we will need loans or duplicate copies (this option may be preferable for those of you concerned about possible losses) of some of your FAVORITE coastal and marine geography slides, with a maximum of twenty from any individual. Based on the number of slides received, the quality, and the variety, we will screen and compile them into several thematic collections. The slides may be conceptual, illustrative, verbal, or field oriented (ground or aerials) and should include a brief caption (of what, where, when, and any sources). Obviously, the highest quality visuals and exceptional examples are most desirable. The slides will be scanned and burned to CDROM. The cost of the CD is projected to run between $10 and $12, with about 200 slides. The CD will be subdivided into several thematic collections. We are hoping obtain additional slide sets at the 1999 AAG meeting in Hawaii from presenters at the conference. (THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR FAVORITE SLIDES CONVERTED INTO A DIGITAL FORM!)
To create some incentive for sharing, contributors will receive a free CDROM based on the number of their slides used in the package. For each slide used in a package, there will be a 10% discount. Thus, if 10 of your slides are used you will receive a free CDROM. All profits will go back to the specialty group. If you or your institution is interested please contact Wayne Engstrom or Rich Daniels. We will have a prototype CDROM available for review by the specialty group by the business meeting and orders for the CDROM will be accepted. Questions or contributions? Contact Richard C. Daniels (Department of Ecology, Olympia, WA) or Wayne N. Engstrom (California State University, Fullerton, CA)
News and Views from Members
News from Dawn Wright, Oregon State University (dawn@dusk.geo.orst.edu)
Recent M.S. Theses: defended in the summer of '98 at Oregon State (both have gone on to jobs as coastal environmental scientists/GIS analysts):
Chuck Schonder, "Geographic Information System Implementation for Coastal Management on Small Islands, With a Case Study on Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands" - Advisor, Dawn Wright - now at State of Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources
Hamilton Smillie, "The Role of GIS in Bringing Science to Coastal Management and Better Data Management to Science" - Advisor, Dawn Wright - now at NOAA Coastal Services Center, S. Carolina
New Lab recently established at Oregon State: "Davey Jones Locker", specializing in marine and coastal GIS, seafloor mapping. Visit us at http://dusk.geo.orst.edu/djl
Recent Grant awarded to Oregon State University (lead P.I. Dawn Wright by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) to support the 1-year development of a national geospatial clearinghouse for the Oregon coast. The clearinghouse will become part of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), including coverage of coastal and marine resource thematic data and FGDC-compliant metadata for all of Oregon, as well as embedded URL linkages to data throughout the state. Protocols will be established for maintenance and update, and training will be provided to clearinghouse users and cooperators. Data mining efforts in support of the clearinghouse will serve as a test bed for the implementation of the new FGDC Standards for Shoreline Data. The grant was awarded under the auspices of the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program and will involve five partners from the state of Oregon: the Pacific Northwest Coastal Ecosystems Regional Study, the Tillamook Bay Watershed Resource Center, the State Service Center for GIS, and Interrain Pacific, a non-profit environmental consulting firm.
News from Klaus J. Meyer-Arendt, University of West Florida (kjma@uwf.edu)
Klaus J. Meyer-Arendt recently left Mississippi State University to accept a position as professor and chair of the Dept. of Environmental Studies at the University of West Florida. This puts him a little closer to his coastal environmental interests. Hurricane George’s stirred things up a little in the Pensacola area, and there are some debates how much restoration really needs to be done. With undergraduates, Klaus plans to do some coastal surveying (with a newly acquired total station) and further investigate coastal dynamics in NW Florida.
In Summer 1998, Klaus led a 12-day Coastal Environments field class for teachers across the northern Gulf Coast from Mobile Bay to Galveston Bay. Funded by a Mississippi Geography Education Fund grant, the course was quite a success. Guest speakers ranged (geographically) from Scott Douglass (South Alabama) to Jim McCloy (TAMU/Galveston) and Craig Colten (SW Texas).
Recent Publication:
Meyer-Arendt, K.J., 1998, From the River to the Sea: Casino Gambling in Mississippi, Chapter 13 in Casino Gambling in America: Origins, Patterns, and Impacts, (K.J. Meyer-Arendt and R. Hartmann, eds.), Cognizant Communication Corp., Elmsford, NY, pp. 151-167.
Recent M.S. Theses:
Morgan, Tara., 1998, Deer Island, Mississippi: A Geographic Information Systems Analysis, M.S. Thesis, Dept. of Geosciences, Mississippi State University.-
Schwartz, Robert M., 1997, Emergency Management Assessment and Impacts of Tropical Cyclones on Waterfront Casinos in Biloxi, Mississippi, M.S. Thesis, Dept. of Geosciences, Mississippi State University.
Oltman, Jennifer D., 1997, Morphologic Recovery of Storm-Induced Washover Features on Mississippi Barrier Islands, M.S. Thesis, Dept. of Geosciences, Mississippi State University.-
News from Andreas Baas, Bernie Bauer, Douglas Sherman (Baas@usc.edu)
USC was powerfully represented at the 4th International Conference on Aeolian Research (ICAR) held in Oxford, England in July, 1998. USC geomorphologists presented 3 papers and 2 posters, and they include a keynote address presented by Prof. Douglas Sherman (co-authored by Bernard. Bauer), a research paper presented by Prof. Bernard Bauer (co-authored by Jianchun Yi, Steven Namikas, Douglas Sherman), and another research paper presented by Steven Namikas (co-authored by B. Bauer) entitled 'Field Measurement of Aeolian Saltation' which derives from Steve's dissertation research. Andreas Baas presented a poster on dune landscape modeling as did Eugene Farrell on characteristics of aeolian saltation. Published works arising from this conference include the following:
Bauer, B.O. and D.J. Sherman (1999), Coastal Dune Dynamics: Problems and Prospects, to appear in A.S. Goudie, I. Livingstone, and S.Stokes (eds.) Aeolian Environments, Sediments, and Landforms. John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
Bauer, B.O., J.Yi, S.L. Namikas, and D.J. Sherman (1998), Event Detection and Conditional Averaging in Unsteady Aeolian Systems, Journal of Arid Environments, 39: 345-375.
In addition, a related article appeared recently entitled,
Bauer, B.O and S.L. Namikas, (1998), Design and Field Test of a Continuously-Weighing, Tipping-Bucket Assembly for Aeolian Sand Traps, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 23: 1171-1183.
Recent Theses:
Jianchun Yi received his PhD (beach boundary-layer development) in 1998 and is now working for a software engineering firm near San Francisco. Steven Namikas is close to finishing his dissertation (aeolian saltation mechanics) and accepted a temporary visiting lectureship at Texas A&M University. Jinkang Wang is also close to finishing his dissertation (beach-cusp development, edge waves, and self similarity) and has been lecturing part-time at California State University, Long Beach, and Santa Monica City College. Eugene Farrell successfully defended his Master's thesis "Airflow-surface interactions for aeolian saltation: field and laboratory experiments" on February 5, 1999, and is busily making revisions.
News from Jennifer Rahn, University of Florida (jerahn@ufl.edu)
Since I heard about this unique opportunity in a round about way I thought I would do some education (propaganda) while announcing my good fortune. This fall I received a Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. I am now working for the Coastal and Marine Geology Program of the USGS in Reston VA for one year.
The Knauss Fellowship is a one year paid fellowship in the Washington DC area working for a government agency. It was established, "to provide a unique educational experience to students who have an interest in marine/ocean/ or Great Lakes resources". The program is sponsored by NOAA's Sea Grant program and matches highly qualified graduate students with hosts in the legislative branch, the executive branch or appropriate associations/institutions. Most of this years class (and most other
classes as far as I can tell) are biological-type students. Some have GIS or remote sensing skills and fewer are geographers (two this year). Also very few have been geomorphologists or geologists. Which means that students with these skills are much in demand and quite literally have their choice of hosts, whereas the biology people have a lot of competition for preferred placements.
I don't know why we don't advertise this more as a specialty group because it really is a year of experience that can't be duplicated any other way. The applications come out each year sometime in the summer and they are due in September. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at work jrahn@usgs.gov.
News from Paul Gares, Eastern Carolina University (
gegares@ecuvm.cis.ecu.edu)Eastern Carolina University (ECU) will offer a PhD in coastal resource management starting in the fall of 1999. As far as I know right now there are only a few applicants and there are several assistantships available. It is an interdisciplinary program which means that students can elect to work with CRM faculty housed in several departments, including geography. Anyone who is interested is encouraged to contact me or the acting program director, Scott Snyder, in the geology department. Information can be obtained thru the ECU homepage.
News from Harry Jol, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (jolhm@uwec.edu)
To aid in the investigation of coastal sediments, I have recently been awarded funds to purchase a ground penetrating radar (GPR) system. We have already begun and continue to investigate many coastline areas including the east coast (North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Florida), Gulf Coast, (Florida, Texas), West Coast (Oregon, Washington), Great Lakes (Superior and Michigan) and Lakes Bonneville and Lahonton. We look forward to continuing collaborative research in the future.
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is the Center of Excellence in Faculty/Student Research Collaboration for the Univesity of Wisconsin System. Several undergraduate students have been working on coastal problems during the past years and have made presentations at regional and national meetings including:
Wenell, B.A., Havholm, K.G., Jol, H.M., Whittecar, G.R., Riggs, S.R. and Ames, D.V., 1998. History of active back-barrier coastal dunes, northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia: a progress report. Geological Society of America, Annual Meeting, Toronto, October 26-29, A-138.
Zerr, N., H. Jol, C. Peterson, L. Woxell, J. Phipps, and S. Vanderburgh, 1998. Coseismic subsidence preserved in linear dune ridge as reactivated dune surface and buried placer deposits in Ocean Shores, Washington, USA. Proceedings of the Oregon Academy of Science, 34:35-36.
Bartz, C.M. and Jol, H.M. 1997. Three-dimensional ground penetrating radar: visualization of a delta using PC based software Geological Society of America, 31st Annual Meeting, North-Central Section, Abstracts with Programs, Madison, Wisconsin, May 1-2, p.3.
Recent Publications:
Jol, H.M., Peterson, C.D., Vanderburgh, S. and Phipps, J. 1998. GPR as a regional geomorphic tool: shoreline accretion/erosion along the Columbia river littoral cell. Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR’98), May 27-30, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA, Volume 1, 257-262.
Jol, H.M., Vanderburgh, S. and Havholm K.G., 1998. GPR studies of coastal aeolian (foredune and crescentic) environments: examples from Oregon and North Carolina, U.S.A. Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR’98), May 27-30, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA, Volume 2, 681-686.
Pullan,S.E.; Hunter,J.A.; Jol,H.M.; Roberts,M.C.; Burns,R.A.; and Harris,J.B. 1998. Seismostratigraphic investigations of the southern Fraser River delta. Geology and Natural Hazards of the Fraser River Delta, British Columbia. Edited by: J.J. Clague; D.C. Luternauer and D.C. Mosher, Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 525:91-122.
Smith, D.G. and Jol, H.M. 1997. Ground penetrating radar investigation of the Peyto Delta. Sedimentary Geology, 113: 195-209.
Smith, D.G., Meyers, R.A., Simpson, C.J., Jol, H.M. and Currey, D.R. 1998. Depositional sequence and style inferred from radar stratigraphy, Lake Bonneville Bar and Spits, Stockton, Utah. Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR’98), May 27-30, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA, Volume 1, 189.
Many of the results discussed above can be found on the web at: http://www.uwec.edu/Academic/Curric/jolhm/jol.htm
Views from Reed F. Stewart, professor emeritus (reedsark@world.std.com)
(1) Who is active in the National Estuary Program?
My part is as chair of the Massachusetts Bays Educational Alliance (MBEA). The alliance is part of the larger Massachusetts Bays Program. That has worked for almost ten years now to protect water quality in Massachusetts Bay. Of course, that has many ramifications including land-use, sewage treatment, coastal processes, shell- and fin-fish concerns, research into the factual and political dimension, and education. The MBEA conducts many successful workshops with K-12 teachers and their students each year. I am known as a geographer, as well as chairing officer, and every once in a while can bring spatial aspects to people's attention. (Those aspects are often so obvious that they are overlooked; however, it helps to see patterns over space. Maps are wonderful things, after all.)
(2) Who is working to call attention to the necessity for inter-municipal cooperation in questions arising from coastal processes? South of Boston, there is a gradually increasing awareness on the part of the newspapers of the predictability of shoreline changes and thus, a slight increase in the awareness of some officials in some towns that human structures may not be the answer to all problems. My part in that is as an inveterate writer of letters to selectmen, newpapers, and state officials and as a proposer of warrant articles in Marshfield town meetings. It helps, also, that I am a long-time resident in the town and have been active in various town committees so that I am fairly well known on the local level.
While I know of various articles and books, I don't know of the "all politics is local" jobs that geographers are doing. I am sure, though, that others are doing similar things; who and what?
At the 1997 Annual meeting held in Fort Worth, Texas, it was proposed that the a logo be developed for our special interest group. Jennifer Rahn (Department of Geography, University of Florida) prepared and presented the first two logos for possible selection as the official COMA Logo in Boston (the last was put together by Rich Daniels). Please select your favorite and e-mail your vote to Richard Daniels (
rdan461@ecy.wa.gov). The official logo selection process will continue during the COMA AAG 1999 business meeting. The final selection will be based on this e-mail vote along with a voice vote to be taken at the business meeting. Additional logo proposals are encouraged, bring them along to Hawaii!A.
B.
C.
Please select your favorite by letter and send your vote, along with comments to Rich Daniels at
rdan461@ecy.wa.gov or come and vote at the 1999 business meeting in Hawaii.
Upcoming Conferences
"Mapping the Future: Geospatial Technologies for 21st Century Coastal Solutions", Coastal GeoTools '99. Charleston, South Carolina, April 5-7, 1999. More Info? See www.csc.noaa.gov/GeoTools99
1999 Canadian Coastal Conference, Royal Roads University, Victoria BC, May 19-22, 1999. For more information check out http://www.vgivision.com/CCC99
"The People, the Coast, the Ocean: Vision 2020", Coastal Zone '99, San Diego, California, July 24-30, 1999. More Info? Seeomega.cc.umb.edu/~cz99/main.html.
"Geography at Work", Nineteenth Annual ESRI International User Conference. San Diego, California, July 26-30, 1999. More Info? See www.esri.com
CALL FOR PAPERS now out for CoastGIS '99 in Brest, France, 9-11 September 1999. The theme is "GIS and New Advances in Integrated Coastal Management". Get more info. on the web at http://www.ifremer.fr/coastgis99/
Estuaries and Coasts: Between November 10-15, 1999, the State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research (SKLEC) in Shanghai, China will host "The International Symposium of Sedimentological & Dynamic Processes in Estuaries & on Coasts." The objective of the symposium is to bring scientists and engineers from universities, research institutions and industry together to exchange experiences and knowledge about the sedimentological and dynamic processes in estuaries and along coastlines. Papers on sedimentological, hydrodynamic, biogeochemical, geomorphological, and anthropogenic processes are selected. There will be several field trips offered, including ones to the Yangtze Estuary, Hangzhou Bay, Qingdao, and Hainan Island. Deadlines include: One-page Abstract--31 March 1999; and Six-page manuscript--31 August 1999. The conference secretary is Prof. Jianjian Lu, SKLEC, East China Normal University, No. 3663 R (N) Zhongshan, 200062, Shanghai, P.R. China. Tel 86-21-62546441, Fax 86-21-62546441, E-mail office@sklec.ecnu.edu.cn. Information can be had at the website: http://nt.sklec.ecnu.edu.cn. A brochure is available from H. J. Walker, Department of Geography, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803. E-mail hwalker@lsu.edu.
GPR 2000, Eighth International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 23-26 May, 2000, More information at: http://www.cssip.elec.uq.edu.au/gpr2000.html
If you know of any related conferences coming up in 1999/2000 or if you have announcements or newsworthy items concerning you, your department, or agency, please take a moment to send them to the newsletter co-editors: Harry Jol (jolhm@uwec.edu) Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 105 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54702 or Rich Daniels (rdan461@ecy.wa.gov) Shorelands/Dept of Ecology, P.O. Box 47690, Olympia, WA 98504. Thanks!
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Coastal Letters Harry M. Jol, Co-Editor Department of Geography University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 105 Garfield Avenue Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004 |
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