 |
During April, scientists from the Bureau of Economic Geology, the Center for Space Research, and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi completed a light detection and ranging (lidar) survey of the Texas gulf shoreline from Sabine Pass to the Rio Grande. Lidar provides highly accurate and detailed topographic data describing beaches, dunes, and development along the shoreline. The lidar data acquisition is the first stage of a new project titled "Shoreline Change and Beach and Dune Morphodynamics along the Gulf Coast" sponsored by the Texas Coastal Impact Assistance Program and administered by the General Land Office. The project is intended to improve the management, protection, and restoration of the Texas gulf beach/dune system. This survey—a collaboration among the Bureau and UT’s Center for Space Research (lidar operation), the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies and Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (ground surveying and GPS), and the Texas Department of Transportation Flight Services (aircraft)—is the first by the Bureau since 2000 to cover the entire system. The beach and foredune zone will be |
| surveyed again in 2011 and 2012 to examine annual variability in shoreline and dune position and morphology, intervening storm effects, and recovery from recent storms such as Hurricane Ike, which devastated the upper Texas coast in September 2008. To learn more about BEG's Coastal Studies Group, click here. |
 |
| Congratulations to Lorena Moscardelli and Lesli Wood on winning the 2010 Bureau Publication Award. Their paper, "New Classification System for Mass Transport Complexes in Offshore Trinidad," which was published in Basin Research, has already been cited 11 times in the ISI recorded citation index. At a dinner on April 19 celebrating all Bureau scientists who published in recognized journals in 2009, Director Scott Tinker also recognized 2 publications by Frank Brown, who has been working since 1955; 5 publications each by Steve Laubach and Bridget Scanlon; and 10 publications by Sergey Fomel. "This kind of leadership from our senior research scientists is remarkable and something for us all to emulate," Scott said. |
 |
 |
| The Bureau was well represented at the American Association of Petroleum Geologists 2010 National Convention in New Orleans April 12 - 14. In addition to numbering more than 30 in attendance, Bureau researchers claimed 3 major awards. Frank Brown received AAPG's most distinguished honor, the Sidney Powers Memorial Award [read the full story]. Bob Hardage received an AAPG Distinguished Service Award, and Martin Jackson received the Robert R. Berg for Outstanding Research Award. Other Bureau researchers in attendance include Bill Ambrose, Stuart Coleman, Tim Dooley, Shirley Dutton, Joseph El-Azzi, Julia Gale, Ursula Hammes, Sue Hovorka, Mike Hudec, Dallas Dunlap, Svetlana Ikonnikova, Steve Laubach, Bob Loucks, Vishal Maharaj, Tip Meckel, Kitty Milliken, Jessica Morgan, Lorena Moscardelli, Chris Ogiesoba, Jeff Paine, Ryan Phelps, Eric Potter, Steve Ruppel, Dolores Vanderkolk, Fred Wang, Wayne Wright, Chris Zahm, Laura Zahm, Hongliu Zeng, Xiangu Zhang, and Bureau Director Scott Tinker. Many in attendance were presenting papers as well.. |
 |
| On Tuesday, April 27, students of the GEO 330K Energy Exploration class taught by Ron Steel, Peter Fleming, and Xavier Janson participated in a first-ever Gulf of Mexico annual lease sale. The 120 students worked for 6 weeks developing bids on an exploration block in an offshore Louisiana dataset provided by Chevron. Their final geological and risk analyses and their bids, which were included on their posters, were evaluated by their teacher, as well as Ellen Clark, Dr. Younis Altobi, and Berik Zhakiyanov from Chevron. |
|
