Estuarine Processes, Hazards, and Ecosystems
Lifespan of marsh units in Assateague Island National Seashore and Chincoteague Bay, Maryland and Virginia
Estuarine processes, hazards, and ecosystems describes several interdisciplinary projects that aim to quantify and understand estuarine processes through observations and numerical modeling. Both the spatial and temporal scales of these mechanisms are important, and therefore require modern instrumentation and state-of-the-art hydrodynamic models. These projects are led from the U.S. Geological Survey's Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, but are collaborative projects that include participation from other U.S. Geological Survey offices, other federal and state agencies, and academic institutions.
Research
Estuarine processes, hazards, and ecosystems describes several interdisciplinary projects that aim to quantify and understand estuarine processes through observations and numerical modeling.
Estuaries are dynamic environments where complex interactions between the atmosphere, ocean, watershed, ecosystems, and human infrastructure take place. They serve as valuable ecological habitat and provide numerous ecosystem services and recreational opportunities. However, they are modified by physical processes such as storms and sea-level rise, while anthropogenic impacts such as nutrient loading threaten ecosystem function within estuaries. This project collects basic observational data on these processes, develops numerical models of the processes, and applies the models to understand the past, present, and future states of estuaries.
Measuring parameters such as water velocity, salinity, sediment concentration, dissolved oxygen and other constituents in watersheds, tidal wetlands, estuaries, and coasts is critical for evaluating the socioeconomic and ecological function of those regions. Technological advances have made it possible to autonomously measure these parameters over timescales of weeks to months. These measurements are necessary to evaluate three-dimensional numerical models that can represent the spatial and temporal complexity of these parameters. Once the models adequately represent relevant aspects of the physical system, they can be used to evaluate possible future scenarios including sea-level rise, streamflow changes, land-use modifications, and geomorphic evolution.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Estuarine Processes Model Development
Below are data releases associated with the Estuarine Processes, Hazards, and Ecosystems project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with the Estuarine Processes, Hazards, and Ecosystems project.
Discontinuous hindcast simulations of estuarine bathymetric change: A case study from Suisun Bay, California
Complex mean circulation over the inner shelf south of Martha's Vineyard revealed by observations and a high-resolution model
Effect of roughness formulation on the performance of a coupled wave, hydrodynamic, and sediment transport model
Decadal-timescale estuarine geomorphic change under future scenarios of climate and sediment supply
Calibration of an estuarine sediment transport model to sediment fluxes as an intermediate step for simulation of geomorphic evolution
Quantifying fluxes and characterizing compositional changes of dissolved organic matter in aquatic systems in situ using combined acoustic and optical measurements
Mercury concentrations and loads in a large river system tributary to San Francisco Bay, California, USA
Chapter 24 Lateral variability of the estuarine turbidity maximum in a tidal strait
Temporal downscaling of decadal sediment load estimates to a daily interval for use in hindcast simulations
Constancy of the relation between floc size and density in San Francisco Bay
Correcting acoustic Doppler current profiler discharge measurement bias from moving-bed conditions without global positioning during the 2004 Glen Canyon Dam controlled flood on the Colorado River
Estimates of suspended sediment entering San Francisco Bay from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta, San Francisco Bay, California
Below are data releases associated with this project.
Estuarine processes, hazards, and ecosystems describes several interdisciplinary projects that aim to quantify and understand estuarine processes through observations and numerical modeling. Both the spatial and temporal scales of these mechanisms are important, and therefore require modern instrumentation and state-of-the-art hydrodynamic models. These projects are led from the U.S. Geological Survey's Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, but are collaborative projects that include participation from other U.S. Geological Survey offices, other federal and state agencies, and academic institutions.
Research
Estuarine processes, hazards, and ecosystems describes several interdisciplinary projects that aim to quantify and understand estuarine processes through observations and numerical modeling.
Estuaries are dynamic environments where complex interactions between the atmosphere, ocean, watershed, ecosystems, and human infrastructure take place. They serve as valuable ecological habitat and provide numerous ecosystem services and recreational opportunities. However, they are modified by physical processes such as storms and sea-level rise, while anthropogenic impacts such as nutrient loading threaten ecosystem function within estuaries. This project collects basic observational data on these processes, develops numerical models of the processes, and applies the models to understand the past, present, and future states of estuaries.
Measuring parameters such as water velocity, salinity, sediment concentration, dissolved oxygen and other constituents in watersheds, tidal wetlands, estuaries, and coasts is critical for evaluating the socioeconomic and ecological function of those regions. Technological advances have made it possible to autonomously measure these parameters over timescales of weeks to months. These measurements are necessary to evaluate three-dimensional numerical models that can represent the spatial and temporal complexity of these parameters. Once the models adequately represent relevant aspects of the physical system, they can be used to evaluate possible future scenarios including sea-level rise, streamflow changes, land-use modifications, and geomorphic evolution.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Estuarine Processes Model Development
Below are data releases associated with the Estuarine Processes, Hazards, and Ecosystems project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with the Estuarine Processes, Hazards, and Ecosystems project.
Discontinuous hindcast simulations of estuarine bathymetric change: A case study from Suisun Bay, California
Complex mean circulation over the inner shelf south of Martha's Vineyard revealed by observations and a high-resolution model
Effect of roughness formulation on the performance of a coupled wave, hydrodynamic, and sediment transport model
Decadal-timescale estuarine geomorphic change under future scenarios of climate and sediment supply
Calibration of an estuarine sediment transport model to sediment fluxes as an intermediate step for simulation of geomorphic evolution
Quantifying fluxes and characterizing compositional changes of dissolved organic matter in aquatic systems in situ using combined acoustic and optical measurements
Mercury concentrations and loads in a large river system tributary to San Francisco Bay, California, USA
Chapter 24 Lateral variability of the estuarine turbidity maximum in a tidal strait
Temporal downscaling of decadal sediment load estimates to a daily interval for use in hindcast simulations
Constancy of the relation between floc size and density in San Francisco Bay
Correcting acoustic Doppler current profiler discharge measurement bias from moving-bed conditions without global positioning during the 2004 Glen Canyon Dam controlled flood on the Colorado River
Estimates of suspended sediment entering San Francisco Bay from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta, San Francisco Bay, California
Below are data releases associated with this project.