Mississippi State University Digs Into Sediment Research
Some people head to the beach to enjoy the wind in their hair and the sand between their toes, but not this particular group of students.
They’re part of the Coastal Research & Extension Center at Mississippi State University and when they go to the beach, it’s all business. Very, very sandy business.
Right now, students and faculty are studying tiny grains of sand in an effort to uncover a huge benefit. They’re developing strategies to save Deer Island, which is a small but important barrier island south of Biloxi in the Gulf of Mexico. When hurricanes and other extreme weather events roll in, these small islands help protect the coastline from total devastation and erosion. So when our barrier islands (or our protection from powerful storms) begin to erode, things get serious. This is why every year, millions of dollars are spent to carry sand to the island in an attempt to replace what has been lost. But is that money being “dumped on the beach,” only to have waves and storms wash it away? That’s what the Bulldogs are trying to find out.
Dr. Anna Linhoss, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at MSU, says, “Our research on Deer Island is leading us to ask more and better questions about sediment loss. Is the sand we’re using to nourish the beach getting sucked down into a shipping channel or is it moving toward beaches along the coast to help nourish them? We’re confident that the answers we get will help us develop long-term strategies that lead to sustainable beaches and barrier islands.” And once Dr. Linhoss and other researchers like her discover those answers, they hope to start doing two things: Locally, they want to place nourishment sand in more calculated locations, which would save money. Nationally, they could apply their research to all coastlines in an effort to combat erosion and the effects of big storms.
So, sand. How does one study something so tiny, especially when it’s being moved around by water? Well, the students collect sand in trenches on the shore of Deer Island, mix that sand with tracer grains of sand, and then put the mixture back into the trenches. Decades ago, scientists used Geiger counters and radioactive tracers for this method, but we’ve since learned that radioactive substances aren’t the best things to play around with, and fortunately, MSU discovered a tracer that’s florescent and magnetic. This means tracer grains will stand out among regular grains, and when students run a powerful magnet over each sample they pull, the magnet will pick up the tracer grains. From there, they can weigh the sand and chart its movement over time on a sediment-transport model.
MSU is making some pretty big strides in understanding sand movement, something you may have never thought about if you’re landlocked. But according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. has 95,471 miles of shoreline. So for Mississippi State’s students and faculty, #ItJustMeansMore motivation to find better ways to manage the beaches of Deer Island and Biloxi as well as other coastal properties and infrastructure across the nation.
