Bottom stress measurements on the inner shelf
Bottom stress shapes the mean circulation patterns, controls sediment transport, and influences benthic habitat in the coastal ocean. Accurate and precise measurements of bottom stress have proved elusive, in part because of the difficulty in separating the turbulent eddies that transport momentum from inviscid wave-induced motions. Direct covariance measurements from a pair of acoustic Doppler velocimeters has proved capable of providing robust estimates, so we designed a mobile platform coined the NIMBBLE for these measurements, and deployed two of them and two more conventional quadpods at seven sites on the inner shelf over a period of seven months. The resulting covariance estimates of stress and bottom roughness were lower than log-fit estimates, especially during calmer periods. Analyses of these data suggest the NIMBBLEs may provide an accurate and practical method for measuring bottom stress.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2015 |
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Title | Bottom stress measurements on the inner shelf |
DOI | 10.1142/9789814689977_0058 |
Authors | Christopher R. Sherwood, Malcolm Scully, John Trowbridge |
Publication Type | Conference Paper |
Publication Subtype | Conference Paper |
Index ID | 70176641 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center |