ARCN COASTAL STUDIES - "Ground-Truthing Field Research, August 2006"
Teleconference Planning Meeting, 1/16/06
Draft minutes by Manley.
Owen Mason, Jim Jordan, and Bill Manley met over the phone to discuss plans for a field research effort in 2006 for studies of coastal erosion. The field research will document changes in coastal ecosystems, in collaboration with the NPS ARCN Inventory and Monitoring Program.
The primary goal of the field research will be to revisit established coastal study sites (12 stations in BELA and 12 stations in CAKR). New measurements of shoreline change will augment previous measurements as ground truth for comparison with, and validation of, GIS-based analyses. Erosion or accretion will be documented by field survey of coastal features from benchmarks established by Jordan in the late 1980's. The field surveys can be accompished with tape, level, emery rod, and handheld GPS. Secondary goals are: to generally document the status of, and changes to, the geomorphic setting of the sites, to investigate stratigraphic records of coastal change; and to establish new stations.
Details of the field research and logistics will need to be worked out in the coming months. Much of the planning hinges on the availability of helicopter time. Some of the sites might also be reached by fixed wing landing on the beach, four-wheeler, boat, or possibly float plane (in order of decreasing feasibility). Location of lodging or field camps will depend on type of access. The field effort might benefit from logistical coordination with a planned archeological and coastal study by Chris Young in CAKR; as that study winds down in late July?, we might be able to dovetail field camps and four wheelers for example. In general, helicopter time will be important for the efficiency and success of the field effort.
A tentative window of time for the field effort has been identified as August 1-15. Jordan will conduct field research on the Alaska Peninsula in July, and available thereafter. Manley is available after July 30. Mason is flexible. August (especially late August?) can be difficult given fog conditions in Kotzebue. The field schedule largely hinges on helo time.
Other things we discussed:
the established stations are focused on the barrier islands, with somewhat irregular spacing and none on the mainland coasts of lagoons
air photos available for the area (ca. 1950 black and whites; 1976 NOS natural color, ca. 1:30,000; ca. 1980 high altitude CIR AHAP; 1987 or 1988 NPS natural color 1:8,000; 1997 NPS; 2003 NPS and NOAA)
station locations were marked on 63k maps and directly on 1987 NPS prints (now in Kotzebue?); most can be relocated in the field fairly quickly
use of Differential GPS would be beneficial, but possibly to difficult or costly to include
other studies in past few decades with mapping might also be helpful for ground truthing
acquire photos and video of the sites
establishment of a webcam would be important, but probably beyond the immediate scope of this effort
involvement of local communities for repeat measurements and observations similarly would be important, but beyond the scope of this effort
significant storm events occurred in the area; Mason and Jordan have some details
tide gauge records for Nome and Kotzebue are helpful
the high-res. contours for Cape Espenberg might be helpful
it would be important to tie efforts into proposed key sites for the Arctic Coastal Dynamics (ACD) program (1 for BELA, and 1 for CAKR)
NPS has a plane (available if needed?) out of Nome (possibly a 185); the float plane in Kotzebue is small; NPS skiffs available in Kotzebue?
encounters with Grizzlies are possible
Dave Atkinson (UAF) has a new coastal project funded
other scientists that should be involved, or could contribute to the project, are Chris Young, resource managers at the parks, Orson Smith.
STEPS AHEAD OF US:
Jordan will make available a table of station locations, possibly also with scans of marked-up topo maps and/or photos
Manley can then create a map of the sites to help with planning
Jordan will draft a field work plan (overview of the sites, priorities, access, details on time at each site, etc.)
Manley? and Sanzone? will file for NPS pemits
Mason will request permits from native corporations
Jordan will request authorization from allotment holders
Jordan? will obtain the marked up 1987 NPS photos
Manley might chat with UNAVCO about possibilities for DGPS
Manley will chat with Atkinson about his new project
Sanzone will arrange helicopter contract
Jordan, Manley, and Mason all have extensive field experience, but is there any training absolutely required? (e.g., helo)
Another conference call should be held after a draft of the work plan is available, or sooner if necessary.