Abstract:
Data were collected during the summer of 2018 on 122 children that participated in the Beach Exposure And Child HEalth Study (BEACHES) project. This data is associated with each child, the day of their videotaping and contain field information such as the toys taken to the beach and clothing worn, along with abrasion data. The beach characteristics contain information on each beach location the day of videotaping across all children. Data was collected at four beach locations. Data such as temperature, wind and water temperature were collected. Included in this dataset are also pictures of the beaches and a separate document containing the description of the profiles (e.g., appearance of each beach).
Suggested Citation:
Alesia Ferguson, Helena Solo-Gabriele, Kristina Mena. 2020. Child specific and beach characteristic dataset. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/n7-rq3z-hq57
Purpose:
Beaches study addresses the health impact to children from potential exposure to oil contaminants but also offers a wealth of information on how children interact and play in their environment, potentially based on the characteristics of the beach. This children field information and beach characteristics dataset contribute to the wealth of data collected in this study and to estimates and conclusions about risks.
Data Parameters and Units:
The dataset contains three Excel files and includes: Child ID (alphanumerical), Videotaping Date (Date), Clothing (text), playing with other children (text: yes, no), Brought toys (text: yes, no), sunscreen (text: yes, no, reapply), hats worn (text: yes, no, sometimes), abrasion (#), beach location (beach name, latitude and longitude - degree N and degree W), date (MM/DD/YYYY), time, average wave height (meters), average wind (mph), average air temperature (degree Celsius), water temperature (degree Celsius), sand temperature (degree Celsius), salinity (ppt), humidity (%), general beach characteristics, PH, and turbidity.
The dataset also includes the various photos of beaches from various viewpoints (JPG files). In addition, the Word document “BEaCHeS-Description of Beaches.docx“ contains detailed descriptions of the beaches. The four beaches chosen for this study include two within Galveston Island, Texas and two within Miami, Florida. The two beaches on Galveston Island are Stewart Beach and Urban Park Beach. The two in Miami are Crandon Beach and Haulover. Please note that Sunny Isles Beach was replaced by Haulover.
Methods:
Field sheets were completed for children each day. Data were then entered from these sheets for each child and then summarized into one Excel file. A separate abrasion sheet was prepared from the field data. Environmental measurements for each beach are taken 2-3 times per day over the videotaping period.
Instruments:
Instruments were mainly used to collect environmental data. During the days of study, samples were collected to characterize the sediment (e.g., grain size) and environmental characteristics will be recorded (e.g., wave height (visually estimated), temperature (air, water, sand), wind conditions). Additional readily available information was gathered from nearby weather stations using the NavClock App (wind conditions, dew point, humidity, feels like temperature, air temperature, visibility). Observations of Sunny/Overcast conditions were recorded. Salinity and Water temperature were measured using a calibrated water quality sonde (YSI). Water samples were collected and analyzed for turbidity (Turner Designs Nephelometer calibrated with 2 and 20 NTU standards) and pH (Orion Star pH meter calibrated with 2, 7 and 10 pH standards). Sand temperatures were measured using a laser thermometer. Fields sheets were used to record observations on children. Cameras were used to take pictures of beaches and children before rinses to remove sand from their bodies.
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