What an eventful surfzone experiment out on Bald Head Island! As part of the Frying Pan Shoals study, we sample the nearfield with an array of pressure sensors and ADCPs. For this round, our beach RTK work was also done in conjunction with the jet ski survey group of Katherine Anarde at NCSU. As always, we had some excellent student participation and thank you very much to our hosts at the Bald Head Island Conservancy.
Bald Head Island is a remarkable spot on the coast: Within ~500 m, one side fires up while the other is flat calm. We also have both sunrises and sunsets over the ocean daily. The shifting orientation of the base of Frying Pan Shoals is fascinating. Courtesy of Google’s image archive, here is our sampling on a basemap (the shoals looked like the left, but the waves looked like the right):
Seasick Suanda 