Researchers at Mississippi State, as part of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, are asking beachgoers to help them by evaluating ocean visits by completing a survey tailored to help ensure that planned outings are truly “a day at the beach.”
The survey, conducted by the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System, is anonymous and focuses on visitors’ past and planned visits to beaches in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida. The information collected from the 10-12 minute survey includes factors such as weather, crowds, and water quality and will help to develop data and data products that appeal to beachgoers.
“This Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System provides a wide array of science-based data and related products,” said MSU Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics Dan Petrolia. “This study focuses on an expanded Gulf of Mexico beach conditions monitoring system and the value of this expansion to those individuals who frequent beaches along the Gulf Coast.”
The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium was created as a federal/state partnership to enhance the sustainable use and conservation of ocean and coastal resources to benefit the economy and environment in Mississippi and Alabama.
Take the survey