Katy Serafin

This summer I worked as a research assistant for the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS is a multi-disciplinary science organization that focuses on biology, geography, geology, geospatial information and water. The USGS also studies how to protect our landscape and natural resources, and identify natural hazards that threaten the US population. More specifically, I worked with the Hurricane and Extreme Storm Impact Group in St. Petersburg , FL. The objective of this group is to investigate the causes and effects of coastal impacts due to hurricanes and storms. This is done in order to improve coastal change prediction and help plan infrastructures located away from hazardous areas. The investigations are done by collecting data through lidar surveys, oblique and aerial video photography and ground surveys.

As a research assistant, I was responsible for processing and analyzing a lidar survey documenting coastal change along Fire Island , NY . The Hurricane Impact Group uses an Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Laser (EAARL) to collect lidar surveys. EAARL is basically a scanning airborne laser that is put in a plane to survey the topography of beaches. Data is acquired prior to and after the storm in order to quantify amounts of coastal change. The data I used was collected in response to the April 2007 Nor'easter that struck the New England area. Using various computer programs, I processed and filtered out faulty points in the lidar data until it was clean enough to use. After the data was cleaned, the good points were used to find beach profiles. A beach profile is a cross-section taken perpendicular to a beach contour, usually including a dune or seawall and extending into the ocean. In order to measure erosion, I looked at change in dune elevation and shoreline position. A shoreline is the point on the profile where the ocean and the beach meet. If the shoreline position changed negatively, it would indicate erosion. However if it accreted and gained sand, the shoreline position would be positive. If the dune was eroded, the result would also be negative and positive for a gain in dune elevation.

After these preliminary steps, I spent the majority of my time working with MATLAB, a high-level technical computing language used for analysis and numerical computation. With MATLAB, I was able to locate the Fire Island shoreline and dune elevation in pre and post storm surveys, and finally write my own code to evaluate the coastal change of the area after the Nor'easter. At the end of the summer, I presented my findings to the group. I now will have a new appreciation for findings in science journal articles, as I understand the lengthy process one performs in order to analyze data.

My objective for the past summer was to gain as much knowledge as possible in the analysis of coastal change. I also wanted to learn more about nearshore morphodynamics and the beach response to storm systems. My internship with the USGS was an extremely valuable experience in helping me to meet these goals. I also was able to learn how to use different computer programs such as MATLAB, which will be beneficial for my honors study and future graduate studies.

My internship provided me with a unique opportunity that allowed me to participate in a hands on experience where I learned applications for future professional growth. I was also able to work with a great group of people who can serve as future contacts for my honors study and graduate school. Applications such as MATLAB will give me an advantage later, and I was able to see the meticulous process that comes with analyzing the data after it is collected. I also learned a copious amount through reading a graduate school text on coastal geomorphology, a diverse amount of journal articles, and one-on-one training with every group member.

Working with the USGS has prepared me for my thesis because I was given the opportunity to learn more about coastal geomorphology and the changes that occur on beaches. I also learned MATLAB can be a tool that will help to organize my data analysis. Finally, I was given some lidar data taken of the Connecticut coastline in 2000. If I can georeference some areas close enough to my profile measurements, I will be able to have more long-term data in analyzing the coastal change between the two beaches I am studying.

For my thesis, I plan to compare beach profiles on a constrained and unconstrained beach in Groton , CT. The natural, unconstrained beach is in Bluff Point State Park , a fully protected coastal reserve since 1975. Its partner, Groton Long Point is privately owned and developed, backed by a seawall. Both are on the Long Island Sound and receive the same kind of meteorological conditions including wind and fetch, which is the length of unobstructed sea surface upon which wind can generate waves. I will be collecting my own data. This study will focus on seasonal profile differences, as well as long-term profile change. Overall, I would like to examine how a seawall influences differences in beach profiles in order to evaluate how anthropogenic activities affect local beaches.