Collaborative Research: Tidally rectified flows in multiple inlet/lagoon systems: Consequences for transport and residence times

浅水、水深复杂的泻湖系统构成了世界海岸线的很大一部分，包括美国的海岸线。这些系统受到人类活动的高度影响，但对于商业和休闲渔业、内河水运、缓冲沿海社区免受风暴的影响至关重要，是敏感的沿海底栖和沼泽生态系统的家园。该项目将利用理想化和现实化的数值模拟研究并结合现场观测，研究具有多个进水口的泻湖系统。这项工作将集中在新泽西州的巴尼加特湾和邻近的泻湖，以检验这一假设，即潮汐驱动的进水口残余运动是控制环流、停留时间和从而控制泻湖水质的主要机制。泻湖的停留时间、水质和总体生态健康对泻湖进水口的净输运高度敏感，对进水口的改造可能也很敏感。这项研究将寻求描述这种敏感性的特征，并为理解其生态和社会影响提供一个动态框架。该项目包括支持两名研究生的专业发展，并将为本科生提供研究机会和体验式STEM教育。将向与泻湖保护有关的组织、海洋推广和公共项目提供外展演示。该项目将使用ROMS进行理想化和现实化的建模，并结合观测结果来量化斯托克斯和欧拉输送，这些输送合计为通过具有代表性的新泽西州巴尼加特湾系统的多个进水口的拉格朗日输送。虽然将从模型输出中获得对这些输运量的最详细估计，但来自观测数据的估计将提供关于潮汐幅度、潮下海平面的变异性以及潮汐周期过程(如海峡/浅滩交换和诱捕)对这些项的调制的关键见解。将讨论三个主要假设：H1。在环礁湖和沿海海洋(入海口)之间的连接处，平均环流和净输送是由潮汐整流主导的。H2。多个进水口的存在显著影响了泻湖和沿海海洋之间的净输送，以及环流和在泻湖内的停留时间。H3.浮力输入和风暴改变了进水口的潮汐修正(从而改变了净输运)。这一裁决反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Shallow, bathymetrically-complex lagoon systems comprise a significant fraction of the world’s coastlines, including those of the United States. These systems are highly impacted by human activity, yet are vitally important regions for commercial and recreational fisheries, inland water transportation, buffering coastal communities from storms, and are home to sensitive coastal benthic and marsh ecosystems. This project would study lagoon systems with multiple inlets, using idealized and realistic numerical modeling studies combined with field observations. The work would focus on Barnegat Bay and adjacent lagoons in NJ to test the hypothesis that tidally-driven residual motions at inlets are the dominant mechanism controlling circulation, residence time and, consequently water quality of lagoons. Residence time, water quality and overall ecological health of lagoons are highly sensitive to net transport at lagoon inlets and are likely sensitive to inlet modification. The study would seek to characterize this sensitivity and provide a dynamical framework for understanding its ecological and societal implications. The project includes support for the professional development of two graduate students and will provide research opportunities and experiential STEM education for undergraduate students. Outreach presentations will be given to organizations, marine extension and public programs concerned with lagoon conservation. The project will use idealized and realistic modeling with ROMS, combined with observations to quantify both Stokes and Eulerian transport, which sum to the Lagrangian transport through the multiple inlets in the representative Barnegat Bay, NJ system. While the most detailed estimates of these transport quantities will be obtained from model output, estimates from observational data will provide key insights into the modulation of these terms by tidal amplitude, variability of subtidal sea level, and tidal period processes such as channel/shoal exchange and trapping. Three main hypotheses will be addressed: H1. Mean circulation and net transport at connections between the lagoon and the coastal ocean (inlets) are dominated by tidally-rectified flows. H2. The presence of multiple inlets significantly influences net transport between the lagoon and the coastal ocean as well as the circulation and residence time within the lagoon. H3. Buoyancy inputs and storms modify tidal rectification (and thus net transport) at inlets.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.