The West-Central Florida Coastal Studies Project is a cooperative effort between the USGS, the University of South Florida, and Eckerd College. Study area map showing locations of barrier islands. The continental shelf is underlain by limestone bedrock with a thin, discontinuous cover of sand deposits of both quartz and carbonate origin. Prior to the initiation of this project, it was generally believed that sand resources were evenly distributed on the continental shelf. Early results, however, have demonstrated that sand is concentrated in specific, nearshore areas and is of limited thickness.
Researchers take vibracore samples to examine sediments lying below the sea-floor.
USGS scientists and collaborators have systematically mapped the thickness of sand deposits near the coast through seismic surveys and jet-probing. The first phase was a regional mapping with widely spaced geophysical and sample data that found that most beach quality sand is concentrated in active ebb-tidal deltas located just off tidal inlets and in long, linear ridges found on the inner shelf. Across the entire study area, bottom samples and core samples have been collected and are being analyzed to develop a map of sea-floor sediment types. This research indicates that although there is coarse, biogenic carbonate sand being produced in the modern environment, there is little or no modern source of beach-quality quartz sediment in this region. In addition to the reconnaissance mapping, USGS scientists and collaborators have completed detailed studies in two localities, one north and one south of the entrance to Tampa Bay.