Beach Grain Size Data Collection

SandSnap is a collaborative project to engage citizen scientists, build a database of beach sand grain size, and educate the next generation about coastal processes. To understand how and why coastlines change, we must know the grain size of the sand on the beach. This information helps us model sand movement caused by the tides and waves, and allows us to predict how the coast will change.

Researchers and resource managers collect and analyze data to help understand how our coastlines have evolved and how they are likely to change in the future. Data on waves, topography, tides, and sand size are all needed to understand these complex systems.

Traditionally, grain size is particularly difficult to measure because a scientist must visit each location to collect a sample. After the sample is collected, it must be physically processed in the lab to determine the sediment characteristics. This work is time consuming. Additionally, this process needs to be repeated because the sediment on the beach is constantly changing.

SandSnap allows anyone with a cell phone to take an image of the sand with a US or Euro coin and measure the sand’s grain size using a deep learning neural network. The image and grain size information is readily available to the user and public in the SandSnap Data Viewer.