1. Waves

Place 450 mL of colored water into a dish (9x12). Let waves settle down.
Drop water into dish using a medicine dropper and observe the patterns that follow.
Try placing drops near edge, in center, several drops at the same time, etc.
Blow across the surface. Which type of wave do you see at edge?
Lift and drop the pan to get perfect waves.
Light and dark bands are seen. Which is crest and which is trough?
 
 

2. Sand

Observe sands from different locations on a beach (near ocean, back of berm, back beach).
On windy days, sand can be collected in different locations using the following method:

• Attach double sided tape to all sides of a wood post (approx. 5 cm x 5cm x 2 m) or attach tape to sign posts near the beach, at various distances from the beach
• Allow sand to collect for many days, or during a storm
• Remove the tape from the post and observe it under the microscope
• Look for patterns in sand distribution - grain size, color, make-up - using hand lens or microscope

• Place double sided tape on a wide face of a 2 x 4 piece of wood.
• Dig a trench in the sand.
• Press the taped side of the piece of wood onto the exposed area to collect the sand sample.
• Examine the tape as in description above.

3. Wave action

Stand on the beach, take oranges or rubber balls that float (a bright color) and throw them out into the water to different distances from the shore. Observe how the balls move. Notice at what point the balls reach the beach, or if they go out to sea again. Experiment to see if the behavior of the balls is different at high and low tides during different seasons.
 
 
 

4. Floating debris

Take a census of the floating debris found in the water and the debris that has washed up onto the beach. Catalog the findings. See what changes can be observed with the different seasons.
 
 
 

5. Beach walk

Start with questions such as: What are we looking for?, What information do we need?, How will we use our findings?
Collect samples of materials that are encountered on a beach walk, such as pebbles, sand samples, debris, seaweed, driftwood, etc. Identify and catalog as many items as possible. Discuss the implications of the findings.
Take the same beach walk four times a year (different seasons) and compare the findings.
Discuss questions such as: how has man changed the beach? what evidence of erosion can be seen?
If beach walks are taken on a day in mid-fall and a day in mid-spring when the air temperature and winds are be the same, compare water and sand temperatures - differences will be observed, ask students to explain observations.
Encourage students can take pictures of their beach walks - they can't take samples of everything back to the classroom.
 
 
 

6. Shoreline features (developed at the Marine Science Center at University of New York at Stony Brook)

Set up a stream table with sand on the bottom and as a beach on one side. There should be between 1 and 2 inches of water in the stream table for the activity. (These models can also be done on an overhead projector if a clear plastic tray is used.)

1. Generate some waves with  long periods, big rollers, that hit the beach parallel to the shore.
2. Generate the waves for a pre-determined amount of time (20 sec?). Observe and record results.
3. Repeat with waves that hit the beach at an oblique (almost 90^o angle) keeping time constant.

1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 using choppy waves with short period.
2. Generate small waves that go completely across the width of the stream table. Observe their original angle when generated and their angle when they hit the beach.
3. Generate waves that hit bays, one with and one without a barrier beach in front of it. Observe and record observations.

Variations that might be tried:

• use different grain sands and look for variations
• place groins, jetties or stone shields near the beach and observe changes in the patterns

Several student projects may revolve around measuring the changes in the slope of a sand dune. There are many methods that can be used to accomplish this, but this is a simple device that can be constructed and used by your students. (Based on a device described by A. W. Wells and M. R. Bennett,  in Annals of Geomorphology - Weathering, Erosion, Sedimentation, edited by K. H. Pfeffer, 1996. G. Borntraeger, Berlin. pp. 255-265)

Materials:

1 meter long piece of strong plastic material, wood, or aluminum, 2.5 cm thick and 4 cm wide.
Two pieces of PVC piping or other tubing to serve as legs (each about 1 meter long).
One spirit level.
Two bolts that will be used to hold the legs in place.
Six weights to be used as plumb lines.
String of any kind that doesn't stretch.
Six large nails or screws.

See diagram below for specific details on construction of the device.
By adjusting the height of the various strings, students can get elevation readings that can be used to create a topographic map of a beach or dune.
 

8. Decision Tree

    A simple tool that can be used to organize the choices that have to be made in a risk assessment is a Decision Tree.  This is a series of forced choices that lead to a reduced number of options which will result in a decision based on preferences and available data.

 
9. Map Study

    Students can choose a local coastal area and find maps which show changes in the shape of the shore over time. After studying the changes that they observe, students can ask questions about the causes of these changes and discuss the significance of these changes for the local community.
 
    Further investigation could include student maps that show what the shore line would look like if the sea level rise that is predicted in the next hundred years actually comes about. In order to do this, students will need topographic maps that show full details of the area being studied. For information about map availability, contact the US Geologic Survey.