Award Abstract # 2123002
The importance of topographic complexity for estuarine dispersion and mixing

NSF Org: OCE
Division Of Ocean Sciences
Recipient: WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
Initial Amendment Date: July 29, 2021
Latest Amendment Date: July 29, 2021
Award Number: 2123002
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Baris Uz
bmuz@nsf.gov
 (703)292-4557
OCE
 Division Of Ocean Sciences
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: September 1, 2021
End Date: August 31, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $632,546.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $632,546.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2021 = $632,546.00
History of Investigator:
  • Wayne Geyer (Principal Investigator)
    rgeyer@whoi.edu
  • David Ralston (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
266 WOODS HOLE RD
WOODS HOLE
MA  US  02543-1535
(508)289-3542
Sponsor Congressional District: 09
Primary Place of Performance: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
MA  US  02543-1041
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
09
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): GFKFBWG2TV98
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY
Primary Program Source: 01002122DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):
Program Element Code(s): 161000
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

The project will study the re-distribution of water and its properties in estuaries, and propose simplified parameterizations to represent those processes. Focus will be placed on the re-distribution caused by features of the estuarine geometry: a) meanders in the channel, b) constrictions in cross-sectional area, and c) the shape of the connection to the coastal ocean. The project?s goals will be pursued with field measurements and computer models that explore different forces altering water motions in an estuary, such as tides, river discharge, and morphological features. Analyses will be anchored on a theoretical framework that describes salt transport in estuaries. Findings of this study should provide key connections to processes that determine the water quality and the ecology of estuaries. The study will train two PhD students and include activities that engage local environmental groups.

The study will seek to determine the role of topographic features on dispersion, stratification and mixing in shallow and tidally dominated estuaries. Features to be considered include meanders, constrictions, and estuary?s mouth geometry. The objectives will be pursued with field observations at the North River (MA) estuary, idealized numerical simulations, and realistic numerical simulations. Idealized simulations will explore amplitude, shape and longitudinal scale of topographic features, varying the forcing from tides, river discharge and overall geometry. Measurements will combine drone photogrammetry, shipboard measurements, and moorings. Analysis of results, with the approach of Dronkers and van de Kreeke (1986), will provide the ?parametrization of the influence of topographic complexity on estuarine dispersion and mixing.? In terms of broader impacts, the proposal would support two graduate students. Graduate students will mentor high school students, and together with the PIs will organize lectures for the North and South Rivers Watershed Association.

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.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Bo, Tong and Ralston, David K. "Frontogenesis, Mixing, and Stratification in Estuarine Channels with Curvature" Journal of Physical Oceanography , v.52 , 2022 https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-21-0298.1 Citation Details
Bo, Tong and Ralston, David K. and Geyer, W. Rockwell "Sources of Drag in Estuarine Meanders: Momentum Redistribution, Bottom Stress Enhancement, and Bend-Scale Form Drag" Journal of Physical Oceanography , v.53 , 2023 https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-22-0211.1 Citation Details
Bo, Tong and Ralston, David K and Geyer, W Rockwell and McWilliams, James C "On the role of small estuaries in retaining buoyant particles" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , v.121 , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2401498121 Citation Details
Bo, Tong and Ralston, David K. and Kranenburg, Wouter M. and Geyer, W. Rockwell and Traykovski, Peter "High and Variable Drag in a Sinuous Estuary With Intermittent Stratification" Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans , v.126 , 2021 https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017327 Citation Details
Garcia, Adrian Mikhail P. and Geyer, W. Rockwell "Tidal Dispersion in Short Estuaries" Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans , v.128 , 2023 https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JC018883 Citation Details
MacCready, Parker and Geyer, W. Rockwell "Estuarine Exchange Flow in the Salish Sea" Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans , v.129 , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020369 Citation Details

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