@proceedings {320, title = {Subtle modification of glacially derived materials along Massachusetts{\textquoteright} southern coast by passing summer storms}, volume = {47}, year = {2015}, pages = {136}, publisher = {Geological Society of America (GSA) : Boulder, CO, United States}, edition = {3}, address = {Northeastern Section - 50th Annual Meeting (23{\textendash}25 March 2015), Bretton Woods, NH}, abstract = {Engineered resupply of sand to coastal environments, i.e. nourishment, offers an attractive short-term strategy to address beach erosion in Massachusetts. For efficient nourishment, site-specific knowledge of seasonal grain size and sediment volume variability at eroding beaches is essential. We have begun measuring grain size and profile at 22 eroding Massachusetts beaches, capturing summer and winter conditions at each site through four to nine representative transects perpendicular to the shore and spaced 100-500 meters apart. Our recently completed first summer field season (August/September 2014) visited eight beaches along Massachusetts{\textquoteright} south coast from Rhode Island to Nantucket. These environments should reflect regional glacial history and a summer interval of reduced storm activity. Where unstratified surficial materials characterize the coast, erosion of glacial till (Horseneck and East beaches, Westport) and end moraine (Barges Beach, Cuttyhunk Island; Town and Sylvia State beaches, Oak Bluffs/Edgartown) can yield cobble berms capping steep intertidal zones. We noted that increased wave activity during storms strips a thin (inches-thick) layer of intertidal sand to reveal gravel and cobble below, while leaving beach profile essentially unchanged. In contrast, where (cobble-free) glacial outwash intersects the coast (Surf Beach, Falmouth; Miacomet and Low beaches, Nantucket) sand and gravel are distributed more evenly across beach facies. Here passing summer storms modify beach profile but not grain size: high surf cuts sandy berms, shifting steepened intertidal zones landward. We will reoccupy south coast sites at the end of winter in 2015 to examine effects of seasonally related increase in storm (and wave) activity. Survey of Massachusetts{\textquoteright} east coast (Sandwich to New Hampshire) is planned for summer of 2015 and winter of 2016. Additionally, overwash sequences recovered through backbarrier basin coring at selected sites complement our beach survey by providing depositional records of particularly strong storms. Study results will allow identification of suitably matched nourishment sources onshore, or offshore, as described in Massachusetts{\textquoteright} Office of Coastal Zone Management{\textquoteright}s extensive grain-size database. }, keywords = {$\#$StaffPubs, Barges Beach, beach, beach erosion, beach profile, BOEM, Buzzard{\textquoteright}s Bay, climate change, coast, coastal, cobble, Cuttyhunk Island, dune, East beach, Edgartown, erosion, Falmouth, grain-size, Horseneck beach, intertidal, Low beach, Martha{\textquoteright}s Vineyard, Miacomet beach, Nantucket, nourishment, Oak Bluffs, offshore, onshore, Plum Island, profiles, sand, sea level rise, storm, Surf Beach, Sylvia State beaches, Town beach, Westport, winter storm}, url = {https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2015NE/webprogram/Paper252510.html}, author = {Nicholas L Venti and Sabina Gessay and Paul Southard and Douglass Beach and Margot Mansfield and Stephen B Mabee and Jonathan D Woodruff} } @booklet {242, title = {Land area potentially affected by sea level rise along the Massachusetts coast}, howpublished = {Open-File Report}, year = {2006}, publisher = {Massachusetts Geological Survey}, edition = {OFR-06-01}, keywords = {$\#$MGSPub, $\#$Misc, climate change, coast, flooding, sea level rise}, url = {http://www.geo.umass.edu/stategeologist/}, author = {Joseph P Kopera and Steven A Nathan} } @techreport {348, title = {Carbon Sequestration: Developing an assessment of potential CO2 storage resources in Massachusetts - Final Report: Estimate of CO2 Storage Resource Potential in Massachusetts Saline Aquifers and Unmineable Coal Seams}, year = {2011}, month = {5/2011}, pages = {62}, institution = {Massachusetts Geological Survey}, address = {Amherst, MA}, abstract = {Geologic carbon sequestration, defined as the permanent storage of CO2 in underground geologic reservoirs, is emerging as an important strategy towards mitigation of increasing accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere and associated greenhouse gas warming and climate change. These efforts have been organized nationally through programs such as the U.S. Department of Energy {\textendash} Office of Fossil Energy {\textendash} National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) {\textendash} Carbon Sequestration Program and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) {\textendash} Energy Resources Program {\textendash} Health and Environment Section {\textendash} Geologic CO2 Sequestration Research initiative. These organizations have partnered with a network of regional participants to evaluate CO2 storage resource potentials in geologic formations throughout the United States and Canada, through the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships program. To date, however, CO2 storage resource potentials for geologic formations in Massachusetts have not been incorporated into any national or regional carbon sequestration initiative, nor have resources for local geologic carbon storage in Massachusetts been estimated or calculated. During a preliminary investigation into geologic carbon sequestration potential in Massachusetts, researchers at the University of Massachusetts identified five potential candidate geologic formations for further study. These include: sandstone aquifers in the Connecticut River Valley, unmineable coal seams in southeastern Massachusetts, organic-rich shales in the Connecticut River Valley, basalts in the Connecticut River Valley, and organic-rich metamorphic rocks in the western Berkshire Hills. Through sponsorship from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, a project was developed to gain more information about these candidate formations related to their hydrogeologic characteristics and potential carbon storage resource. This information has been used to assess if some or all of these candidates meet screening criteria for geologic carbon storage and to provide data for volumetric carbon storage models as outlined by methodologies developed by the USGS and NETL. This research also has identified gaps in knowledge and information regarding key hydrogeologic characteristics for the candidate formations in Massachusetts. These data are required to determine if formations meet screening criteria and to estimate total storage resources. Prepared for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center under Task Order 09-1}, keywords = {$\#$MGSPub, $\#$MGSPubs, $\#$Report, $\#$Reports, Carbon, climate change, CO2, coal, coal seams, Hartford Basin, injection, Narragansett Basin, sequestration}, url = {http://www.geo.umass.edu/stategeologist/Products/reports/CarbonSequestrationReport.pdf}, author = {Stephen B Mabee and David F Boutt and Petsch, Steven T} } @techreport {347, title = {Experiments Summarizing the Potential of CO2 Sequestration in the Basalts of Massachusetts {\textendash} Final Report}, year = {2011}, month = {10/2011}, pages = {103}, institution = {Massachusetts Geological Survey}, address = {Amherst, MA}, abstract = {Basalts are gaining more attention as reservoirs for the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2). The purpose of this report is to present the results of experiments that were conducted on the basalts in western Massachusetts and Connecticut to determine their potential to sequester CO2. There were two primary objectives of these experiments:
  • To recreate and validate prior carbonate mineralization experiments conducted on the Holyoke basalt by Schaef et al. (2009) from Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) and to test if their results are reproducible and geographically consistent within western Massachusetts and Connecticut, and,
  • 2. To explore the possibility of reacting CO2 with basalt at the earth{\textquoteright}s surface in an ex-situ mineral reactor and, in particular, to identify the optimum conditions necessary to precipitate large amounts of carbonate at the surface in a short time period by varying pressure, temperature, water volume, mass of sample and grain size in the experiments.
    • Prepared for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center}, keywords = {$\#$MGSPub, $\#$MGSPubs, $\#$Reports, basalts, Carbon, carbonate, climate change, CO2, Holyoke Basalt, injection, mineralization, precipitation, sequestration}, url = {http://www.geo.umass.edu/stategeologist/Products/reports/BasaltSequestrationReport.pdf}, author = {Petrick, Carrie and Stephen B Mabee} } @online {192, title = {Fact Sheets From the Association of American State Geologists}, abstract = {Position statements from the Geological Society of America on a Variety of issues. These represent the general consensus of the State Geologic Surveys, and the general geologic community, on these issues.}, keywords = {$\#$EducationalResources, $\#$FactSheets, climate change, creationism, evolution, fracking, global warming, legislation, policy, position statement, public health, science}, url = {http://www.stategeologists.org/position_papers.php} } @online {191, title = {Position Statements from the Geological Society of America Geology and Society Division}, publisher = {GSA}, abstract = {Position statements from the Geological Society of America on a Variety of issues. These represent the general consensus of the geologic community on these issues.}, keywords = {$\#$EducationalResources, $\#$PositionStatements, climate change, creationism, evolution, fracking, global warming, legislation, policy, position statement, public health, science}, url = {http://www.geosociety.org/positions/} }