Page 16 - Coastwatch_2024_v5b

Land-Sea Interaction

2024

1963

1938

Even with
specialized
equipment,
sediment coring
is labor intensive.
Program Director
Katie Castagno,
Ph.D. (right) and
Tommy Tucker
catch their breath
during sediment
coring at Duck
Harbor.
Duck Harbor in Geologic Time
1635
Since a tidal breach in 2021, Duck Harbor in Wellfleet has regularly flooded during
astronomically high tides, resulting in dramatic changes in the surrounding land
and ecosystem. In 2023, the Land-Sea Interaction Program conducted stratigraphic
mapping at Duck Harbor to study sediment layers, their composition, age and
relationships. This year, program staff built on that effort, collecting additional
sediment cores using specialized vibrating equipment to obtain “vibracores,”
which can reach depths of up to 6 feet, or about 183 cm. With this advanced coring
technology, researchers expect to analyze sediment dating back as far as 1000
years, providing additional insight into Duck Harbor’s storied past.

The Land-Sea Interaction Program is also actively monitoring salt marsh stability,
health, and sediment supply in Chatham and Dennis, through collaborations with
the town of Chatham and the Association to Preserve Cape Cod. Sediment traps,
small containers that catch sand, organic matter and other particles as they settle
in the water, are deployed at regular intervals throughout the summer and fall,
providing a snapshot of sediment accumulation, helping researchers understand
and predict changes in bathymetry.

Research Assistant
Tommy Tucker
documents a
sediment core.
~ 1200 CE

This 6-foot
sediment core
Land-Sea Interaction from Duck Harbor
Program interns contains layers of
Hailey Philbrick and material dating
Ashely Iglesias and back 800 years
volunteer Grace Miller
operate a vibracore at a
16 marsh in Chatham.