Geology in Motion – Field Work in Puerto Rico to Establish and Support a New Collaborative Effort Restoring Beach Dunes and Sea Turtle Nesting Grounds

Paul Bremner (ST13) organized and conducted field work along the northern coast of Puerto Rico from 6/25-7/6/22. The effort was a collaboration between Paul Bremner, Dallin Laycock (Geologist, ConocoPhillips, Canada), Sean Fletcher (Geologist, Serafina Energy, Canada), Richard MacKenzie (Coastal Geomorphologist, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, New Orleans), and Robert Mayer (Professor of Marine Biology, University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla). Robert Mayer leads the Marine Life Ecological Conservation and Restoration Center at his university, which heads coastal restoration efforts along the entire northern coast of Puerto Rico. The field work aim was to establish a new collaborative effort to determine sediment dynamics along the northern Puerto Rican coast to increase probability of success of coastal dune and beach restoration projects. Specifically for this trip, Paul Bremner and Dallin Laycock joined Robert Mayer and his group to conduct sediment analysis of beaches and coastal dunes down-current of specific restoration sites. The sediment analysis is ongoing, but includes physical descriptions and composition, and is complemented by time-lapse satellite imagery of the region depicting coastal change after major storms (e.g., Hurricane Maria in 2017). The results of the field work and satellite imagery will form the basis for a new collaborative project. While there, Dallin Laycock and Paul Bremner gave a talk and answered questions about the project and our careers to students at the University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla. The attached photos show three of the many sampling sites.