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

浅层的、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，但对商业和休闲渔业、内陆水运、沿海社区免受风暴影响的缓冲至关重要，也是敏感的沿海底栖生物和沼泽生态系统的家园。该项目将研究具有多个入口的泻湖系统，采用理想化和现实的数值模拟研究结合实地观察。这项工作将集中在新泽西州的巴内加特湾和邻近的泻湖上，以验证潮汐驱动的入口残余运动是控制循环、停留时间和泻湖水质的主要机制的假设。泻湖的停留时间、水质和整体生态健康对泻湖入口的净输送高度敏感，并可能对入口改造敏感。这项研究将试图描述这种敏感性，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。将向有关泻湖保护的组织、海洋扩展和公共项目作外展介绍。该项目将使用ROMS的理想化和现实化建模，结合观测结果量化斯托克斯输运和欧拉输运，这些输运总和为拉格朗日输运，通过具有代表性的新泽西州Barnegat湾系统的多个入口。虽然对这些输运量的最详细估计将从模式输出中获得，但对观测数据的估计将提供关键的见解，以了解潮汐幅度、潮下海平面的变化以及潮汐期过程（如海峡/浅滩交换和捕获）对这些术语的调制。本文将讨论三个主要假设：泻湖与沿海海洋（入口）连接处的平均环流和净输运以潮汐整流为主。H2。多个入口的存在显著影响泻湖与沿海海洋之间的净输运以及泻湖内的环流和停留时间。H3。浮力输入和风暴改变了入海口的潮汐整流（从而改变了净输送）。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.