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

虽然有大量的工作研究静态河口对风力驱动的沿海海洋的影响，以及考虑河口内与无特征海洋耦合的环流的类似的大量工作，但很少有工作研究演变中的沿海海洋与大河口的更现实的耦合。在这项研究中，数值模式将被用来探索一个理想化的分层，风驱动的海岸架和理想化的河口之间的相互作用的基本动力学。解决的两个主要问题将是如何风引起的上升流/下降流的货架上修改相邻河口的水文结构，以及如何河口的存在影响上升流/下降流响应风强迫货架上。为了使结果容易适用于一个广泛的类河口的嘴是大的内部半径的变形在沿海海洋，一个面向过程的方法，基于理想化的情况下，而不是更现实的模型。 参数的初始选择将是适当的切萨皮克和特拉华州河口，既因为他们熟悉和接近的调查，因为他们是很好的研究。预计这些研究结果将阐明控制河口和沿海海洋之间相互作用的水文、水深和几何参数的组合。它们还可以帮助解释各种更复杂，更现实的数值模型的结果，并为未来的观测和现有数据的重新分析提供新的视角。更广泛的影响：由于与河口的水交换和大陆架的上升流/下降流是对沿海海洋生物和化学结构的主要影响，因此该研究将提高对大型河口及其邻近大陆架的生态认识。它还将描述人类活动的影响如何到达沿海海洋。这项工作将支持研究生和本科生在这两所大学通过他们参与研究。这项建议将有利于ODU少数民族本科生培训计划的学生，其结果将纳入ODU正在进行的切萨皮克河口水文监测的教育部分。

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.