Excellence in Research: The role of wave-current-ice interaction to a freshwater plume dynamics

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River plume dynamics are an important phenomenon to an estuarine circulation contributing to transport of estuarine materials and momentum balance, which are seasonally active in intertidal zones depending upon the Coriolis force, wind, tide, and freshwater discharges. For example, Lake Michigan (one of the Great Lakes) witnesses 10 km wide plume that resuspends materials extending over 100 km southern shore in every spring. However, factors responsible for the variability are not yet understood. The temperate climate of southern Lake Michigan is potentially influenced by the colder climate and ice covers in its northern basin. Southern basin is intervened by the denser population in the surroundings and prone to water pollution though the riverine channels. This proposed project aims to use a coupled hydrodynamics and ice numerical model developed for the Lake Michigan to investigate the: (a) effects of the wave-current-ice-plume interactions on coastal plume formation, (b) mechanism of plume interaction with the ice dynamics when ice cover is mobile, (c) projection of plume behavior/occurrence under climate scenarios in southern Lake Michigan. This project will help expand a pool of minority students in the field, by supporting the only physical oceanography numerical modeling laboratory within the HBCU community in the continental US and by providing students from underrepresented groups with opportunities to integrate research with their education through inquiry-based learning at an HBCU. The proposed research will advance understanding of the factors governing plume behavior in a large lake and how the lake current, waves, and ice are in turn influenced by the plumes, using numerical hydrodynamic-wave-ice modeling. Idealized numerical experiments will separate the factors in the complex system of plume interactions with currents, waves, and ice and reveal important factors that dominate the impacts on plume behavior. The future projection of the plume dynamics in southern Lake Michigan considering scenarios of climate change can forward the study to investigate nutrient distributions and productivity resolving one of the real-world challenges. Specifically, the proposed project will lead to the following intellectual merits: Advanced understanding of river/sediment plume interactions with currents, waves, and ice cover and the energy balance in these interactions; Future projections of plume dynamics out the mid-century under the climate change scenarios that will lead to understand the nutrients distribution and redefine the productivity zone; Future projections of current, wave, and ice environments in southern Lake Michigan out to the mid-century.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.