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Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements Active

By Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center August 28, 2018

Numerical models are used by scientists, engineers, coastal managers, and the public to understand and predict processes in the coastal ocean. This project supports the development and application of open-source coastal models and has several objectives: 1) improve the code of numerical sediment-transport models by implementing new or improved algorithms; 2) obtain measurements of coastal ocean processes to test and verify models; 3) develop new instruments or analysis techniques to make these measurements; and 4) develop software tools and standards to facilitate analysis, comparison, and visualization of observations and models. Study sites are selected for characteristics needed for model development and testing, as well as to address issues of national or regional importance.

 This project houses several components, including: model code development; advances in instrumentation, field measurements, and analysis; development of standards and software tools for analysis of model output and comparison with observations; and model applications intended to test model capabilities, capitalize on unique partnering opportunities or field experiments, or address problems of societal relevance that are urgent and/or require new modeling capabilities.

Numerical ocean models are used by scientists, engineers, and coastal managers to understand and predict the effects of physical, biological, and chemical processes in the coastal ocean. This project has four objectives: 1) improve the code of open-source numerical models by implementing new or improved algorithms for processes related to sediment transport; 2) provide measurements of coastal ocean processes to test and verify models; and 3) develop new instruments or analysis techniques to make these measurements; and 4) develop software tools and standards to facilitate incorporation of observations with models and comparison among models. The overall objective is to support development of open-source models that are useful for addressing important problems related to natural hazards and ecosystem change in the coastal ocean.

Rotary side scan images at a grain-size boundary
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Rotary side scan images at a grain-size boundary at a 12-m deep site south of Martha’s Vineyard. Gray images are fan-beam sonar backscatter amplitudes, and colored insets are bathymetry, with 0.02-m contours. Both images were made at the same location under different wave conditions, as indicated in the bottom panel, where ubr is wave-orbital velocity  (m/s) and wave dir. (degrees True) is wave propagation direction (relative to north).

 

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

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Model results from steady, uniform flow with floc dynamics.

Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements- Ocean Model Contributions

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) led a project funded by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) with support from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), to develop a community sediment-transport modeling system (CSTMS).
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements- Ocean Model Contributions

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) led a project funded by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) with support from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), to develop a community sediment-transport modeling system (CSTMS).
Learn More
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Bathymetry of the New England inner shelf and south shore of Martha’s Vineyard with model grids

Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements- Field Measurements and Model Applications

Several components of this project are applications to evaluate the model against critical field measurements or to test new model components. Data from field measurements is described in our publications and available in our databases.
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements- Field Measurements and Model Applications

Several components of this project are applications to evaluate the model against critical field measurements or to test new model components. Data from field measurements is described in our publications and available in our databases.
Learn More
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Map of daily-averaged ocean surface current data

Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements- Tools and Standards for Ocean Modeling

Ocean models provide critical information for coastal and marine spatial planning, emergency responders and for understanding implications of climate change and human activities. Models are run by numerous academic institutions and government agencies, typically with different access protocols that stifle use, comparison with data, and innovation.
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements- Tools and Standards for Ocean Modeling

Ocean models provide critical information for coastal and marine spatial planning, emergency responders and for understanding implications of climate change and human activities. Models are run by numerous academic institutions and government agencies, typically with different access protocols that stifle use, comparison with data, and innovation.
Learn More
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Photograph of a jetyak

Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements- Advances in Instrumentation

Ongoing acquisition of new instruments and development of analytical methods provides us with the means to make better observations of coastal ocean processes. The measurements provide us with insight and data for critical evaluation of model performance. Advances in a range of measurement capabilities, including bottom stress, sediment erodibility, water properties and nutrient concentrations...
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements- Advances in Instrumentation

Ongoing acquisition of new instruments and development of analytical methods provides us with the means to make better observations of coastal ocean processes. The measurements provide us with insight and data for critical evaluation of model performance. Advances in a range of measurement capabilities, including bottom stress, sediment erodibility, water properties and nutrient concentrations...
Learn More

Below are multimedia items associated with this project.

Map of daily-averaged ocean surface current data
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Relative seagrass biomass in West Falmouth Harbor, MA
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Illustration of the NIMBBLE (New instrument for making bottom boundary layer evaluations)
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Barnegat Bay residence times in days
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Deployment of an instrumented quadrapod off Martha’s Vineyard
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Photograph of Marinna Martini prepares to deploy a NIMBBLE from the R/V Connecticut south of Martha's Vineyard
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Photograph of USGS tilt current meter (white cylinder) in overwash channel in the Sandwich Town Beach
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Bathymetry of the New England inner shelf and south shore of Martha’s Vineyard with model grids
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Comparison of observed near-bed velocities and modeled near-bed velocities using several bottom-roughness formulations.
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Below are publications associated with this project.

Alexandrium fundyense cysts in the Gulf of Maine: long-term time series of abundance and distribution, and linkages to past and future blooms

Here we document Alexandrium fundyense cyst abundance and distribution patterns over nine years (1997 and 2004–2011) in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Maine (GOM) and identify linkages between those patterns and several metrics of the severity or magnitude of blooms occurring before and after each autumn cyst survey. We also explore the relative utility of two measures of cyst abundance and dem
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Filter Total Items: 38

Documentation of the U.S. Geological Survey Oceanographic time-series measurement database

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Oceanographic Time-Series Measurement Database contains oceanographic observations made as part of studies designed to increase understanding of sediment transport processes and associated dynamics. Analysis of these data has contributed to more accurate prediction of the movement and fate of sediments and other suspended materials in the coastal ocean. The measur
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Quantifying the residence time and flushing characteristics of a shallow, back-barrier estuary: Application of hydrodynamic and particle tracking models

Estuarine residence time is a major driver of eutrophication and water quality. Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor (BB-LEH), New Jersey, is a lagoonal back-barrier estuary that is subject to anthropogenic pressures including nutrient loading, eutrophication, and subsequent declines in water quality. A combination of hydrodynamic and particle tracking modeling was used to identify the mechanisms contro
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Physical and biogeochemical controls on light attenuation in a eutrophic, back-barrier estuary

Light attenuation is a critical parameter governing the ecological function of shallow estuaries. In these systems primary production is often dominated by benthic macroalgae and seagrass; thus light penetration to the bed is of primary importance. We quantified light attenuation in three seagrass meadows in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, a shallow eutrophic back-barrier estuary; two of the sites were
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Formation of fine sediment deposit from a flash flood river in the Mediterranean Sea

We identify the mechanisms controlling fine deposits on the inner-shelf in front of the Besòs River, in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. This river is characterized by a flash flood regime discharging large amounts of water (more than 20 times the mean water discharge) and sediment in very short periods lasting from hours to few days. Numerical model output was compared with bottom sediment obs
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Autonomous bed-sediment imaging-systems for revealing temporal variability of grain size

We describe a remotely operated video microscope system, designed to provide high-resolution images of seabed sediments. Two versions were developed, which differ in how they raise the camera from the seabed. The first used hydraulics and the second used the energy associated with wave orbital motion. Images were analyzed using automated frequency-domain methods, which following a rigorous partial
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Modeling future scenarios of light attenuation and potential seagrass success in a eutrophic estuary

Estuarine eutrophication has led to numerous ecological changes, including loss of seagrass beds. One potential cause of these losses is a reduction in light availability due to increased attenuation by phytoplankton. Future sea level rise will also tend to reduce light penetration and modify seagrass habitat. In the present study, we integrate a spectral irradiance model into a biogeochemical mod
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

The vertical structure of the circulation and dynamics in Hudson Shelf Valley

Hudson Shelf Valley is a 20–30 m deep, 5–10 km wide v-shaped submarine valley that extends across the Middle Atlantic Bight continental shelf. The valley provides a conduit for cross-shelf exchange via along-valley currents of 0.5 m s−1 or more. Current profile, pressure, and density observations collected during the winter of 1999–2000 are used to examine the vertical structure and dynamics of th
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Investigating the importance of sediment resuspension in Alexandrium fundyense cyst population dynamics in the Gulf of Maine

Cysts of Alexandrium fundyense, a dinoflagellate that causes toxic algal blooms in the Gulf of Maine, spend the winter as dormant cells in the upper layer of bottom sediment or the bottom nepheloid layer and germinate in spring to initiate new blooms. Erosion measurements were made on sediment cores collected at seven stations in the Gulf of Maine in the autumn of 2011 to explore if resuspension (
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Metabolism of a nitrogen-enriched coastal marine lagoon during the summertime

We measured metabolism rates in a shallow, nitrogen-enriched coastal marine ecosystem on Cape Cod (MA, USA) during seven summers using an open-water diel oxygen method. We compared two basins, one directly receiving most of the nitrogen (N) load (“Snug Harbor”) and another further removed from the N load and better flushed (“Outer Harbor”). Both dissolved oxygen and pH varied greatly over the day,
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Water level response in back-barrier bays unchanged following Hurricane Sandy

On 28–30 October 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused severe flooding along portions of the northeast coast of the United States and cut new inlets across barrier islands in New Jersey and New York. About 30% of the 20 highest daily maximum water levels observed between 2007 and 2013 in Barnegat and Great South Bay occurred in 5 months following Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Sandy provided a rare opportunity
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Model behavior and sensitivity in an application of the cohesive bed component of the community sediment transport modeling system for the York River estuary, VA, USA

The Community Sediment Transport Modeling System (CSTMS) cohesive bed sub-model that accounts for erosion, deposition, consolidation, and swelling was implemented in a three-dimensional domain to represent the York River estuary, Virginia. The objectives of this paper are to (1) describe the application of the three-dimensional hydrodynamic York Cohesive Bed Model, (2) compare calculations to obse
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Exchange of nitrogen and phosphorus between a shallow lagoon and coastal waters

West Falmouth Harbor, a shallow lagoon on Cape Cod, has experienced a threefold increase in nitrogen load since the mid- to late 1990s due to input from a groundwater plume contaminated by a municipal wastewater treatment plant. We measured the exchange of nitrogen and phosphorus between the harbor and the coastal waters of Buzzards Bay over several years when the harbor was experiencing this elev
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Experiment descriptions, site locations and EPIC format data products are available at U.S. Geological Survey Oceanographic Time-Series Data Collection

U.S. Geological Survey Oceanographic Time-Series Data Collection

Oceanographic time-series measurements made by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1975 and the present as part of research programs. The data were collected to address specific research questions and were primarily collected over durations less than a year, using stationary platforms, with sensors near the sea floor. These data have been used to study of ocean dynamics and to validate ocean models

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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

COAWST: A Coupled-Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave- Sediment Transport Modeling System

To better identify the significant processes affecting our coastlines and how those processes create coastal change we have developed a Coupled Ocean – Atmosphere – Wave – Sediment Transport (COAWST) Modeling System, which is integrated by the Model Coupling Toolkit to exchange data fields between the ocean model ROMS, the atmosphere model WRF, the wave model SWAN, and the sedime

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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center