Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Field data collection has always been central to coastal sciences and engineering. Coastal systems are highly complex, making field observations essential to understanding the processes that drive them and to developing effective, sustainable solutions. Fieldwork also connects researchers directly with the environments they study and with the communities most affected by the challenges they investigate. It plays an equally important role in the education of students and early career researchers, who need to understand where data comes from and how to collect it in the field.
Field deployments, however, bring many challenges, including long days in harsh weather, unexpected situations, rapidly changing conditions, instrument failures and rising travel and equipment costs. Unfortunately, we’re seeing a general decline in field researchers and campaigns, even as the need for data to calibrate and validate numerical studies, and more recent artificial intelligence applications, continues to grow.
At CCS, we have long recognized the importance of field data collection and supporting it through collaboration and shared resources is a core part of our infrastructure. Our field support team — three experienced staff members — assists affiliate faculty, students and collaborators with survey planning, field operations and equipment maintenance. We also maintain a fleet of five research vessels with different capabilities that support dive operations, seabed sampling and coring, instrument deployment and sonar surveying. In addition, two personal watercraft and a hovercraft provide safe access to shallow areas with complex bathymetry. Recently, we also soft-launched the CCS Service Hub. It offers clear pathways for sharing research infrastructure such as vessels, vehicles and specialized equipment. We are excited about the new partnerships and collaborations this streamlined system will help create.
This month’s newsletter highlights the broad range of CCS field research, from prototype testing of coastal protection designs and hurricane research, to septic vulnerability assessments and microbial studies in marshes. This demonstrates close collaboration with community stakeholders such as the Town of Cedar Key and the City of Jacksonville. It also underscores the importance of field experiences inspiring the next generation of coastal scientists and engineers.
I would like to close today’s note with special thanks to the CCS field support staff: Todd van Natta, Patrick Norby and Charli Pezoldt. Their commitment and dedication have made a major contribution to the unique data we have collected and the discoveries that followed. I would also like to thank all the students, colleagues, collaborators and partners who have participated in our research campaigns. Fieldwork is teamwork, and collaboration is at the heart of CCS.
With best wishes,
Nina