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Coastal & Marine Geology Program > Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies > West-Central Florida Coastal Studies Project

West-Central Florida Coastal Studies Project

West-Central Florida Coastal Studies Home Introduction: Project Overview Investigators Research: Framework Processes Morphodynamics Methods: Methods and Tools Video Monitoring Publications: Reports, Maps, and Posters Contact: Chief Scientist

Introduction On the highly developed west-central Florida coast, beach erosion is a major concern. Though the Gulf Coast is a relatively low-energy environment, this region has seen high rates of beach erosion in recent decades, decreasing the recreational value of beaches and their natural ability to provide protection during storms. The West-Central Florida Coastal Studies Project was undertaken to investigate the geologic history of the region as well as processes that control the distribution of sediment and the formation of the barrier islands. Project Summary The West-Central Florida Coastal Studies Project was an extensive five-year collaborative regional coastal study between the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of South Florida, and Eckerd College that geographically spanned approximately 130 kilometers from Anclote Key, Florida to Venice, Florida. The major goals were to better understand the recent geologic history of the West-Central Florida barrier island system and its natural variability, seafloor bathymetry, surface sediment distribution, and subsurface stratigraphy of the West-Central Florida coastal system. Understanding water circulation and its interaction with the coastal inner shelf system was an additional goal of the study. A complete description of the findings which arose from this study are detailed in USGS Open-File Report 2001-303 A summary of findings of the West-Central Florida Coastal Studies Project. As a result of this project, 24 U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports, 5 University of South Florida Technical Reports, 17 Theses and Dissertations, and 39 Publications and published abstracts, including a Special Issue in 2003 Marine Geology volume, were produced. We anticipate that these products will be widely used by regional and local coastal engineers, planners, government officials, and interested citizens in managing West-Central Florida coastal resources. Coastal scientists and engineers will find these products useful in the techniques presented, the data produced, and as a comparison of other coastal systems.

Virtual Field Trip Take a Virtual Field Trip of west-central Florida's barrier islands! Related Research Projects: Coastal Classification Mapping Project USGS Coastal & Marine Geology Program Related Links: A summary of findings of the West-Central Florida Coastal Studies Project - USGS Open File Report 2001-303 USGS Coastal & Marine Geology Program Limited Sand Resources for Eroding Beaches - USGS Fact Sheet USGS Coastal & Marine Geology Program Marine Geology Vol. 200 - Neogene geology of a linked coastal/inner shelf system: West-Central Florida Science Direct University of South Florida Tampa, Florida Eckerd College St. Petersburg, Florida

Coastal & Marine Geology Program > Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies > West-Central Florida Coastal Studies Project