Beach profiling

Introduction:
Over time beaches change shape, they are not a static thing like rocks they ebb and flow, always transient and never certain. Many variables can affect the shape or 'profile' of a beach. One variable is the direction and strength of the wind because grains of sand are small and light enough to float away sort of like a dandelion puff. Another variable is the ocean, by that I mean the size and vigorousness of the waves, current directions in reference to the beach, and tides, tides play a big part in the shape of a beach because it changes how much of the beach there is above the water. There are countless variables but I will list just one more; storms, everyone who lives near a beach knows how it is almost like the sand retreats in to the ocean during a storm and then in the course of a couple months, depending on the severity of the storm, it slowly returns to the shore. Our specific site is currently recovering from a storm and also it is undergoing a conservation effort, the pacific whale foundation is in the process of restoring the dunes of the beach.

Procedure:
1. Collect all of your materials.
2. Go to your beginning point.
3. Record the date and the names of your team members on to the data sheet.
4. Place the end of the transect tape on the anchor point and extend tape to the foot of the beach.
5. Turn on GPS device and record beginning point coordinates on data sheet.
6. Record the directional reading of the compass on to the data sheet.
7. Weather the beach is gaining vertical height or losing it over the next meter place the rise pole on the higher point and the run pole on the lower point.
8. Make sure both poles are level and a meter apart using the horizontal portion of the run pole. If for some reason, there is not enough room for the poles to be a meter apart then make them as far apart as appropriate and record distance change on data sheet.
9. Record intersect point on the rise pole on appropriate section of data sheet.
10. Repeat steps 6 through 8 moving one meter closer to the beach each time, do so until the foot of the beach.
11. un-hook transect tape from anchor point, turn the handle of the transect tape and retract it.

Origins of Sand Lab part3

Conclusion:
My research question for this lab was, "What environmental characteristics make a beach biogenic or detrital?" I thought the answer would be, "I think that beaches with allot of coral in the water around it will be biogenic, while beaches with rocks in the water will be detrital. If I find coral at a biogenic beach and rock at a detrital beach then my hypothesis will be correct."
We found that all of the biogenic beaches had coral in the water but some of them also had rocks in the water. We did not find a true detrital beach, though we did find a combination of mostly detrital but still biogenic. The beach in question had a cinder cone on one side but some coral in the water. The answer to this lab is, yes, you need coral in the water for a beach to be biogenic but it takes more than just rocks in the water to make a beach detrital. I will now recite some possible sources of error that could have skewed the results. We did not go to a truly detrital beach so our comparison was incomplete. There was no control sample for the sand analysis so the information gained from the experiment might not have been consistent.

Origins of Sand Lab part3

Data Colection and Analysis

Big Beach:
sand color and characteristics; large with grains of white and black but mostly tan
surounding area; cinder cone on one side and reefs off shore
reaction; a good abount of crackling
conclusion; boigenic

Wailea Beach:
sand color and characteristics; very fine grains with a small amount of black and white grains but mostly tan
surounding area; rocks on either side and coral off shore
reaction; lots of fizing and bubbling
conclusion; biogenic

Black Sand Beach:
sand color and characteristics; rather round grains of mostly black but with grains of white
surounding area; cinder cone on one side
reaction; some crackling
conclusion; combination of biogenic and detrital

Origins of Sand Lab part2

Beach observations: April 11th

Big Beach: The sand; not uniform in color but is mostly tan, there are rather large (for sand)grains of white and rather small grains of black.
The area around the beach; there is a mosly dead reef off shore and a cinder cone on one side of the beach.

Wailea Beach: The sand; tan and fine with a rather even color, though there are small grains of black and white.
The area around the beach; lava rocks on either end of the beach, some coral off shore.

Origin of Sand Lab part1

Intro: There are two types of beaches; detrital and biogenic. Detrital is a beach that comes from rocks, here they are made from lava rocks so they are usually black or red. Biogenic beaches originate from organic sources like fish feces and dead coral. We will test if a beach is biogenic by testing for calcium carbonate by pouring vinegar in a sample. The chemical reaction that will ensue is as such; vinegar (acetic acid) + calcium carbonate ----> calcium acetate + water + carbon dioxide 2CH3COOH + CaCO3 ----> Ca(CH3COO)2 + H2O + CO2 .

Question: What enviormental characteristics make a beach biogenic or detrital?

H: I think that beaches with alot of coral in the water around it will be biogenic, while beaches with rocks in the water will be detrital. If I find coral at a biogenic beach and rock at a detrital beach then my hypothesis will be correct.

Materials: Journal
Writing implement
sample cups (2)
vinegar
pipette
transportation
appropriate clothing

Procedure: 1)drive to Waipuilani beach
2) collect sample in sample cup
3) record enviormental observations in journal
4) go to Oneuli beach
5) collect sample in sample cup 6) record enviormental observation in journal
7) go to lab
8) perform vinegar test on samples For your reference: vinegar (acetic acid) + calcium carbonate ----> calcium acetate + water + carbon dioxide 2CH3COOH + CaCO3 ----> Ca(CH3COO)2 + H2O + CO2
9) record results
10) make conclusion