Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Researchers at the University of North Carolina Wilmington will conduct water and sediment sampling at Surf City/Topsail Island Thursday, Aug. 19. The sampling is part of a project to develop a baseline projection of the condition of the state’s coastal environment, shellfish and fish, as well as GPS profiling of beach conditions.

The testing will help the state detect changes that may occur in water quality, fish health and beach conditions. The data will also be used as part of beach renourishment efforts and as comparison data in the event that oil from the Deepwater Horizon begins to travel up the East Coast or the state is affected by other oil or chemical spills.

Sample collection teams will be working Thursday, Aug. 19 at Surf City/Topsail Island. Media are welcome to cover the sampling efforts and interview faculty and students involved. A second sampling at Atlantic Beach is tentatively planned for noon Saturday, depending on weather.

WHAT: Sample collection of ocean water, sediment and fish; GPS profiling of beach

WHO: UNCW researchers and students: Professor Larry Cahoon, UNCW Department of Biology and Marine Biology (water and sediment sampling)

WHERE: Meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Surf City Welcome and Visitors Center parking lot. This is the lot directly in line with the N.C. 50 bridge.

(RSVP if you plan to attend so the research teams will wait for you to arrive)

Media contact:
William Davis, 910.962.2654 or 910.232.6264, davisw@uncw.edu