NEW ARTICLE

Patrick Hesp's and my latest collaboration  'Aeolian dynamics of beach scraped ridge and dyke structures'  has just been published in Coastal Engineering. Free access to the article, without registration or sign up, is available until May 5, 2015 so get clicking!

Spray Day

I've been fortunate to be involved in lots of different fieldwork the last few years but today was the first that involved taking to the air! 

In conjunction with Airborne Research Australia two planes were flown along the Young Husband and Sir Richard Peninsula's here in South Australia measuring salt spray along the coast.

Both planes in flight along one of the sites. 

Another 'action' shot.

Dr Graziela Miot Da Silva as part of the ground based team.

NEW PUBLICATION : Sediment transport patterns in a trough blowout

The trough blowout investigated in the study. (County Donegal, Ireland.)

This study examines the variability of sediment flux and its relationship with near surface wind in a trough blowout. Results demonstrated that sediment flux rates were highly variable even over distances of less than 0.5 m. Where wind flow was steadiest, flux was greatest, consequently highest rates of sediment transport were measured on the erosional walls of the blowout. Interestingly however, correlation between sediment flux and wind parameters was best in the centre of the blowout and poorest on the erosional wall crest.

Authors: Thomas Smyth, Derek Jackson and Andrew Cooper

Published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

The Coorong

Patrick, Stefano (a visiting PhD student from Italy) and I took a trip down to the Coorong National Park at the weekend. This was my first visit and I was blown away by the coastline. So much variety in wave energy and dune types all on one beach. From no energy in Lacepede Bay in the South to a very high energy environment at the Murray Mouth.  Hopefully it will make the perfect laboratory!

The Granites. The only rock on 194 km of continuous beach.

It's hard to fully appreciate the scale of the landforms here and the processes that drive their evolution.

Australia's second longest continuous beach.