Dauphin Island Data Portal

Proficient citizen scientists foster a culture of community engagement that, when paired with scientific methods, generate valuable research. This NASEM Gulf Research Program funded citizen science project is developing an innovative community-based approach for documenting shoreline processes. Volunteers are trained and mentored by oil spill response and coastal geomorphology experts to collect critical data that are typically lacking during oil spill planning and response in regions with offshore oil and gas operations. Community members in Dauphin Island, Alabama attended a series of workshops addressing (1) key factors affecting the nearshore environment, (2) coastal spill science and response strategies, and (3) field training in shoreline data collection. The volunteers used a simple, standard beach profiling method with inexpensive tools, hand-held DGPS units, and cameras to generate important datasets for the program. Depositional and erosional cycles are documented by this method, providing an understanding of seasonal beach dynamics which becomes critical when evaluating whether burial or remobilization of oil may take place. Participants also learned how to identify tar balls and collected tar ball distribution data during the beach surveys, providing the first year-long perspective of background oiling data on select sections of Dauphin Island. These data will be compiled for long-term preservation after project completion and made publicly available for all end-users: contingency planners, responders, and researchers. Our approach provides a template for other communities who wish to build a coastal citizen science program that generates critically important baseline data for local shoreline spill response efforts.