Collaborative Research: The Interaction of Estuarine Circulation and Wind-Driven Shelf Circulation

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ABSTRACTOCE-0453864 / OCE-0453792While there is a large body of work investigating the influence of a static estuary on a wind-driven coastal ocean, and a similarly large body of work considering circulation inside an estuary coupled to a featureless ocean, very little work has been done looking at a more realistic coupling of an evolving coastal ocean to a large estuary. In this study, a numerical model will be used to explore the fundamental dynamics of the interaction between an idealized stratified, wind-driven coastal shelf and an idealized estuary. The two major questions addressed will be how wind-induced upwelling/downwelling on the shelf modifies the hydrographic structure of an adjacent estuary, and how the presence of the estuary affects upwelling/downwelling response to wind forcing on the shelf. In order to make the results readily applicable to a wide class of estuaries whose mouths are large compared to the internal radius of deformation in the coastal ocean, a process-oriented approach based on idealized scenarios will be used instead of more realistic models. The initial choice of parameters will be appropriate to the Chesapeake and Delaware estuaries, both because they are familiar and close to the investigators and because they are well studied. The findings are expected to elucidate the combinations of hydrographic, bathymetric and geometric parameters which govern the interaction between the estuaries and the coastal oceans. They may also help interpret results from a wide variety of more complex, realistic numerical models, as well as provide a new perspective for future observations and reanalysis of existing data. Broader Impacts: Because the exchange of water with the estuary and the upwelling/downwelling on the shelf are major influences on the biological and chemical structure of the coastal ocean, the study will improve ecological understanding of large estuaries and their adjacent shelves. It will also characterize how anthropogenic influences reach the coastal ocean. This work will support graduate and undergraduate students at both universities through their involvement in the research. This proposal will benefit students in ODU.s Minority Undergraduate Student Training program, and the results will be integrated into the educational component of ODU.s ongoing monitoring of hydrography at the mouth of the Chesapeake.