Overview Field Activity Collection System (FACS) Log

Topic
Information
USGS Activity ID
12CCH02
Other ID (if any)
XSTORMS.h20120808
Organization(s)/Program
U. S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Project/Theme
Extreme Storm Coastal Change Hazards
Area of Operation
Northern Gulf of Mexico, Dauphin, Ala. to Breton Islands, La.
Principal Investigator(s)
K.L.M. Morgan
Information Specialist(s)
Karen Westphal (contractor)
Activity Type
Oblique Aerial Photography
Scientific Purpose/Goals
Baseline Coastal Morphology 
Platform
Cessna 172
Starting Date
August 8, 2012
Starting Port/Location
Abita Springs, La.
Ending Date
August 8, 2012
Ending Port/Location
Abita Springs, La.
Equipment Used
Canon EOS Rebel T2i, Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx
Information to be Derived (e.g., Grain Size, Depth to Basement)
Analysis of coastal change due to extreme storms
Summary of Activity and Data Gathered
Baseline Coastal Oblique Aerial Photography. 1242 photographs were taken, at 18 megapixels: each image file was approximately 6 MB for a total of 6.59 GB of imagery data.
Notes (include staff, shop time etc)
 Karen A Westphal left from the Air Reldan base in Abita Springs, Louisiana at approximately 14:05 UTC on August 8, 2012 in a 2-person Cessna 172 piloted by Phillip McMiller. The weather was hot and hazy, with scattered showers and inconsistent overcast. The plane had a forward wing strut to work around, and the window that opened for pictures was on the right side. The flight path transited north to south along the Chandeleur Island chain in Louisiana, then east to west along the Alabama/Mississippi barriers to document the Gulf shoreline. Oblique aerial photography was obtained from an altitude of 500 feet and roughly 800-1000 feet away from the shoreline to include the horizon and nearshore bedforms in the frame.