Cape Lookout Field Trip: Coastal Processes and Responses (modified after Riggs, 1997)

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1 Cape Lookout Field Trip: Coastal Processes and Responses (modified after Riggs, 1997) I. Dates Friday, November 5 through Sunday, November 7. We will camp near the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. We will get from the mainland to the island via the ECU research vessel, which we will meet at the little Washington dock. This vessel will also be used during the field trip to shuttle us from our camp site to our work locations. II. Cost The Geological Sciences Department will subsidize the trip by covering the approximately $800 of the cost. Their share of the expenses will include the cost of the boat, gas, and vans (~700) plus any incidental costs we encounter while on the trip. The field trip participants will need to cover the following additional costs: Food (dinner Friday evening, all meals and snacks on Saturday, and Sunday breakfast and lunch). We will do our own cooking, so we should be able to keep the cost to a minimum. The students who volunteer to be in charge of the food will also be in charge of collecting money from everyone. I ll do my best to help with this. III. Objective This field exercise will focus on coastal processes and responses within the complex sedimentary environments of the Cape Lookout Coastal System. We will study the processes operating on the modern beach, inlet, and estuarine marshes in the Cape Lookout area. By occupying a series of monitoring stations through the tidal cycle, we will consider the energy flux on barrier beaches, inlets/outlets, and back-barrier marsh and sand flats. IV. Preliminary Agenda Friday, October 15, : Depart Greenville for little Washington. Bring your lunch. We will eat once we get to the Cape, but we will not stop for groceries on the way there. If you want breakfast, be sure to bring that too (or eat before we leave!) : Set up campsite and orientation : Overview field trip of the Cape Lookout area mostly on foot (with minor assistance from the boat). Cross-barrier transect north of Cape Lookout Lighthouse (ocean beach, dune, overwash fan, marsh, estuary). Site selection for Saturday and Sunday projects : Dinner and possible evening discussion of Cape Lookout area.

2 Saturday, October 16, dark: Monitor Site 1 (this means a VERY early breakfast and packing of lunches) Occupy, in teams of two or three, 2 different monitoring stations on the tide-dominated sand flat within the inlet system. Each team will stake, map, and monitor the processes (hydrologic, sedimentologic, and biologic) and responses through daylight hours of the tidal cycle. We should have a reasonably good tidal range. 2. after dark: Dinner, clean-up, and camp. Sunday, October 17, : Monitor Site 2 (another early breakfast and packing of lunches) Occupy, again in teams of two or three, individual monitoring sites through a partial tidal cycle. Each team will stake, map and monitor the processes and responses on a wave-dominated, ocean beach face and on the adjacent backshore and dune field : take down camp, clean up area and pack up : return to Washington dock, then to Greenville : unpack vans, put away field gear, etc. V. To Bring (be ready for rain or shine, hot or cold; and be prepared to get completely soaked!) 1. Warm sweaters and sweatshirts to layer; a very warm jacket; stocking hat and gloves; enough extra clothes for a complete dry change. 2. A good rain slicker that is really waterproof. 3. A pair of old tennis shoes and/or other shoes/boots (NOT hip waders please) that will both stay on your feet and protect them from all things sharp and sticky and that can get wet; several sets of warm socks; a pair of warm dry shoes to change into at the end of the day and for the trip home. 4. A towel. 5. A warm sleeping bag. 6. Tent, sleeping pad, and other personal camping gear. 7. Your own personal eating utensils (plate/bowl, spoon, fork, knife, cup). The department (or I) will provide all other cooking gear and I will provide a cook-tent, tables, etc. 8. A good field notebook (waterproof); several pencils; a hand lens; tape measure and a walking stick that has been marked as a meter stick; a large pocket knife; a spatula; a machete or scraper; and a watch that works. 9. Bug repellent, sunscreen, sunglasses, personal supplies (i.e., toothbrush and toiletries), sunglasses, hat, and a good flashlight. 10. Camera and binoculars (optional, but very helpful). 11. Water bottle, day pack, thermos (optional), and a good attitude.

3 VI. Links to related information 1. Current weather information (and links to forecasts) for Cape Lookout from the National Data Buoy Center s Station CLKN7 2. Cape Lookout tide predictions (in both table and plot formats) from and from the University of South Carolina s WWW Tide and Current Predictor 3. Aerial photos and topographic maps of the Cape Lookout from Microsoft s TerraServer Tides for Cape Lookout Bight, North Carolina 5 November November N, W :30 AM EDT Sunrise ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME AT CAPE LOOKOUT: 11:00 AM; FRIDAY, NOV 5TH :10 PM EDT feet Low Tide :33 PM EDT Moonset :08 PM EDT Sunset :59 PM EDT 4.52 feet High Tide :52 AM EDT New Moon :01 AM EDT feet Low Tide :28 AM EDT 6.07 feet High Tide :31 AM EDT Sunrise :02 AM EDT Moonrise :02 PM EDT feet Low Tide :07 PM EDT Sunset :19 PM EDT Moonset :48 PM EDT 4.40 feet High Tide :49 AM EDT feet Low Tide :31 AM EST Sunrise :17 AM EST 6.01 feet High Tide :10 AM EST Moonrise :52 PM EST feet Low Tide ESTIMATE DEPARTURE TIME FROM CAPE LOOKOUT: 2:00 PM; SUNDAY, NOV 7TH :07 PM EST Sunset Horizontal yellow line marks mean sea level; horizontal white line marks datum (usually mean lower low water). Colors under the curve indicate rising and falling tide (not ebb and flood currents).

4 TerraServer Image of Cape Lookout Bight and the east end of Shackleford Banks

5 Google Earth Image of Cape Lookout Bight.

6 Pamlico River Greenville Washington Pamlico Sound Nuese River Cape Lookout New Bern Nuese River Intracoastal Waterway Core Banks Beaufort Bogue Banks Shackleford Banks Harker s Island Google Earth maps showing major locations, and water bodies on route from Greenville to Cape Lookout, NC.

7 ~Sunday field area Lighthouse Visitor Center Planned campsite (+/ ) Coast Guard dock ~Saturday field area Google Earth image showing location of major logistical sites for the Cape Lookout field trip.