Wind generated wave resuspension of sediment in Old Tampa Bay, Florida

Vertical profiles of velocity and suspended-solids concentration were measured at a scientific instrumentation platform in Old Tampa Bay during the passage of a cold front in March 1990. Strong sustained winds behind the front increased wave activity in the bay, which resulted in resuspension of bottom sediments. The concentration of suspended solids, however, did not correlate with either wave height or mean velocity. A model of wave-current interaction was used to calculate the bottom shear stress, which proved to correlate well with suspended-solids concentration. This analysis shows the importance of considering wave-current interaction when studying sediment resuspension and near-bed transport processes in shallow estuaries.