UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography

Photos: Semester at Skidaway Students explore Wassaw Island

Four people wearing life vests sit in a motorboat on a sunny day. — ***^{Semester at Skidaway students head out to the island in a research skiff. (photos by Granger Eltringham)}***

In October, Semester at Skidaway students spent a day on Wassaw Island led by Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) Director and Professor Dr. Clark Alexander. It was a clear, warm morning on the coast as the SkIO research skiff pushed off from the dock and headed down the Skidaway river. After crossing the open expanse of Wassaw sound, the skiff landed on the island’s North shore. Seabirds circled overhead as participants removed their shoes, lept into the waves, and trudged onto the beach, equipment in tow. Students took part in a variety of activities as they hiked the island, mapping the changing shoreline with GPS and digging trenches to observe the sedimentary layers that make up the beach. Along the way, they learned more about the island’s ecology, geology, and history. Wassaw Island is only accessible by boat and is designated as a National Wildlife Refuge. It’s protected status makes it one of the most well preserved examples of a barrier island in the state of Georgia.

Semester at Skidaway students are seniors in UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Marine Sciences. They spend fall semester at the UGA Skidaway Institute taking courses, conducting research, and participating in field trips to scientifically and culturally relevant locations along the Georgia coast. Stay tuned for more photos, next week the students will head to Sapelo island for another field trip.

A group of people standing on a beach near a large piece of driftwood on a shell-covered shoreline. — ***^{A quick stop at a nearby shell berm presents an opportunity to teach about the role of oysters in the region.}***

Three smiling women wearing life jackets and sunglasses stand outside against a clear blue sky. — ***^{Students from the semester at Skidaway program aboard the research skiff.}***

A person in a sun hat walks out of the ocean toward a shore, while two others prepare a small motorboat nearby. — ***^{Participants disembark on Wassaw Island’s north shore.}***

Four people walk along a beach filled with driftwood and the skeletal remains of trees under a clear blue sky. — ***^{Dr. Clark Alexander leads the way down a driftwood beach on Wassaw Island.}***

A man digs into the sand on a beach with a shovel. — ***^{A student excavates a trench to observe the mineral layers that make up the beach.}***

Two people carrying shovels walk across a sunny, sandy beach. — ^{Students trek across the beach with shovels, rounding the island’s Northern tip and heading South.}

Three people use shovels to dig a narrow trench in the sand on a beach. — ***^{Dr. Alexander explains to students how each layer of sand’s unique composition indicates where it may have originated.}***

A light-colored ghost crab standing on sandy beach. — ***^{The ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) is a common sight on Wassaw island.}***

Four people walk through a grassy wetland field toward a distant treeline. — ***^{Students explore the salt marsh habitat that flanks the island.}***

Driftwood logs lie on a sandy beach with a shrimp boat visible on the horizon of the ocean. — ***^{A shrimp boat framed by driftwood,}*****^{remnants of a maritime forest engulfed by the sea.}**

Two people walk along a sandy beach in front of a forest of dead trees. — ***^{Walking the wrack line, a student maps the shifting sands of Wassaw with a GPS unit.}***

A large, weathered driftwood tree with exposed roots on a sandy beach under a clear blue sky. — ***^{The expansive root system of a fallen tree, a reminder that the barrier islands along Georgia’s coast are never static.}***

About SkIO

The UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) is a multidisciplinary research and education institution located on Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia. The Institute was founded in 1967 with a mission to conduct research in all fields of oceanography. In 2013, SkIO was merged with the University of Georgia. The campus serves as a gateway to coastal and marine environments for programs throughout the University System. The Institute’s primary goals are to further the understanding of marine and environmental processes, conduct leading-edge research on coastal and marine systems, and train tomorrow’s scientists.

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Aerial view of a waterfront research facility with several buildings surrounded by trees, a dock with a blue and white boat, and a large grassy area in the background.