Oceanographic measurements and hydrodynamic modeling of the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2013

During May and June of 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey in collaboration with Naval Post-Graduate School, the University of Miami, and Deltares USA, participated in the Office of Naval Research-funded River and Inlets Dynamics (RIVET II) experiment to investigate the hydrodynamics of the mouth of the Columbia River (MCR). The field experiment consisted of the collection of continuous oceanographic data at three moorings, shipboard surveys and Lagrangian drifter deployments to characterize spatial variability in hydrodynamics and water properties, and hydrographic surveys to characterize seafloor morphology in the MCR. These datasets were used to calibrate and validate a hydrodynamic model of the MCR, estuary, and adjacent coast.

The majority of field observations were made between Astoria and the North and South Jetties where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. The RIVET II experiment was conducted between May 9, and June 16, 2013 during the peak discharge measured at Bonneville Dam for the 2013 water year. River discharge at the beginning of the experiment was approximately 10,000 cubic meters per second and decreased to about 6,000 cubic meters per second by the end of the field campaign. Wave heights measured offshore of the MCR during the experiment varied between 0.6 m and 3.9 m and dominant wave periods between 4 s and 20 s. Wind speeds recorded at the land-based weather station ASTO3 varied daily with maximum speeds of up to 12 m/s with variable directions throughout the RIVET II experiment.

The data in this release are divided into separate categories including hydrodynamic modeling, Lagrangian drifter data, oceanographic time-series data from moorings, surface-sediment grain-size data, spatial surveys of water column currents and acoustic backscatter. Digital files containing the data from each of these categories generated during the RIVET II experiment and associated metadata are available for download from the child item pages.