Coastal Geology Seminar (8801-10)
This course is a graduate level seminar on coastal geology highlighted by a weekend field trip to Lake Erie to collect multibeam sonar, sediment cores, and to discuss principles of coastal geology. Throughout the semester, the class works on the collected datasets and discusses current issues on a broad range of coastal geology topics including hurricanes, tsunamis, sea level rise, coastal ecosystems, and coastal bluff erosion.
A key of this course is application of multibeam sonar systems capable of generating high-resolution maps and backscatter intensity of bed topography and morphology in lakes, rivers, and marine environments.
In the first edition of the course, the class enjoyed ideal weather and lake conditions for the weekend field trip, Sep. 15-17. The class camped at South Bass Island State Park (picture below) and utilized Ohio State’s Stone Laboratory’s Biolab vessel throughout the day on Saturday. The class spent 8 hours in the area offshore South Bass and Gibraltar Islands and acquired detailed data over rock reef structures, a large lakebed hole, and a shipwreck. The class will process the data throughout the remainder of the semester. The class thanks the School of Earth Sciences for financial support and Captain Arthur Wolf, Justin Chaffin, and Matt Thomas of Stone Lab for helping make the field trip a success.
Campsite at South Bass Island, Sep. 15-17, 2017
Trevor Browning (left) and Paul Russell (right) burning the midnight oil to set up the multibeam for the next day’s trip.