CAREER: Swashzone Processes

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ABSTRACTPI/Institution: Raubenheimer / WHOI Proposal No: OCE- ABSTRACTPI/Institution: Raubenheimer / WHOI Proposal No: OCE-0239033 The overall, long-term scientific and educational objectives are to develop and validate models for the fluid and sediment processes in the swash zone (the region where the beach face is alternately covered and uncovered by run-up from wind waves), to improve the publics ability to interpret scientific results, and to increase awareness of the processes that affect the beaches and nearshore. The specific goals of the proposed work are to investigate swashzone processes, to develop an undergraduate internship program in nearshore processes open to students at any university, and to participate in the development of an internet- and field-based observational oceanography class. The proposed work will evaluate hypotheses concerning the dependence of flows on beach slope and offshore wave conditions, bed stresses in the swash, the importance of infragravity energy to alongshore swashzone flows, the longshore changes in erosion rates, and the processes important to swashzone sediment transport.The proposed 6-month research internships will supplement and extend the existing 2-month Summer Student Fellowship program at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and will allow time for students to become familiar with background literature and computer analysis and programming techniques, to develop a detailed research plan, to conduct experiments and collect observations if necessary, and to analyze the data. The proposed course development is expected to provide undergraduates at small colleges the opportunity to learn about the processes that affect the beaches (e.g., erosion, rip currents, and surf) and the field techniques needed to collect nearshore observations. The development of course modules will be synergistic with the creation of a prototype set of distance-learning opportunities for undergraduates and will contain (1) material on fluid mechanics and sediment transport, (2) information on instrumentation and sampling strategies, (3) participation in a small field experiment, possibly in conjunction with the proposed undergraduate research projects. It is expected that the modular nature of the content will enable the web information to be used in a variety of courses. The overall, long-term scientific and educational objectives are to develop and validate models for the fluid and sediment processes in the swash zone (the region where the beach face is alternately covered and uncovered by run-up from wind waves), to improve the publics ability to interpret scientific results, and to increase awareness of the processes that affect the beaches and nearshore. The specific goals of the proposed work are to investigate swashzone processes, to develop an undergraduate internship program in nearshore processes open to students at any university, and to participate in the development of an internet- and field-based observational oceanography class. The proposed work will evaluate hypotheses concerning the dependence of flows on beach slope and offshore wave conditions, bed stresses in the swash, the importance of infragravity energy to alongshore swashzone flows, the longshore changes in erosion rates, and the processes important to swashzone sediment transport.The proposed 6-month research internships will supplement and extend the existing 2-month Summer Student Fellowship program at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and will allow time for students to become familiar with background literature and computer analysis and programming techniques, to develop a detailed research plan, to conduct experiments and collect observations if necessary, and to analyze the data. The proposed course development is expected to provide undergraduates at small colleges the opportunity to learn about the processes that affect the beaches (e.g., erosion, rip currents, and surf) and the field techniques needed to collect nearshore observations. The development of course modules will be synergistic with the creation of a prototype set of distance-learning opportunities for undergraduates and will contain (1) material on fluid mechanics and sediment transport, (2) information on instrumentation and sampling strategies, (3) participation in a small field experiment, possibly in conjunction with the proposed undergraduate research projects. It is expected that the modular nature of the content will enable the web information to be used in a variety of courses.