Texas High School Coastal Monitoring Program: Port Isabel, Ball, & Port Aransas High Schools

Summary

The Texas High School Coastal Monitoring Program (THSCMP) engages people who live along the coast in the study of their natural environment. High school students, teachers, and scientists work together to gain a better understanding of dune and beach dynamics on the Texas coast. Students and teachers learned how to measure the topography, map the vegetation line and shoreline, and observe weather and wave conditions. By participating in a research project, the students obtained an enhanced science education. Furthermore, public awareness of coastal processes and the Texas Coastal Management Program was heightened, and the students’ efforts provided coastal communities with valuable data on their changing shorelines.