Do North-Facing Beaches in Northern California Have Larger Sand Grains than South-Facing Beaches?

Overview

Objectives/Goals My project was to see if sand grains from the more northernly facing beaches in Northern California were on average larger than the sand grains on the more southernly facing beaches. Methods/Materials I used sample containers, a copper tube, a shovel, a rope, a GPS device, a back pack, a compass, rinsing water, aluminum pans, a sand sieve set, a funnel, a flash light, and a paper towel. I went out to the beaches, collected the sand, then brought it back. I used the sand sieves to measure the sand grains' size and was able to determine the average grain size of each sample. With that knowledge, I could compare the sands from the different beaches and figure out what type of beaches had the larger sand grains. Results The grain size averages measured from a low of .68 millimeters to a high of 2.04 millimeters, and there seemed to be a correlation between beach orientation. My correlation coefficient (the number that tells how consistent my results were) was .61, a moderate correlation, meaning there was moderate support for my hypothesis. Conclusions/Discussion While I did find a correlation, I am not entirely sure that I can make a definite conclusion due to lack of samples. I collected 15 samples on just one day, and, while that may seem like a lot, it would have been much better if I had had the opportunity to gather more. There are plenty of uncontrollable variables existing in the natural world, as well, though I was careful and very consistent. Next time, I certainly would collect more sand, that way my analysis would be more reliable.

Competition history

• CSEF 2008 Earth & Planetary Sciences · Entry J0714

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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