Geology Reports⌕ Search

Geology topics

R. P. Signell

Publications and source records attributed to R. P. Signell.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2009

Deposition and flux of sediment from the Po River, Italy: An idealized and wintertime numerical modeling study

Recent studies of sediment dynamics and clinoform development in the northern Adriatic Sea focused on winter 2002-2003 and provided the data and motivation for development of a detailed sediment-transport model for the area near the Po River delta. We used both idealized test cases and more realistic simulations to improve our understanding of seasonal sediment dynamics there. We also investigated the relationship between physical processes and the observed depositional products; e.g. the accumulation of sediment very near the Po River distributary mouths. Sediment transport near the Po River was evaluated using a three-dimensional ocean model coupled to sediment-transport calculations that included wave- and current-induced resuspension, suspended-sediment transport, multiple grain classes, and fluvial input from the Po River. High-resolution estimates from available meteorological and wave models were used to specify wind, wave, and meteorological forcing. Model results indicated that more than half of the discharged sediment remained within 15??km of the Po River distributary mouths, even after two months of intensive reworking by winter storms. During floods of the Po River, transport in the middle to upper water column dominated sediment fluxes. Otherwise, sediment fluxes from the subaqueous portion of the delta were confined to the bottom few meters of the water column, and correlated with increases in current speed and wave energy. Spatial and temporal variation in wind velocities determined depositional patterns and the directions of sediment transport. Northeasterly Bora winds produced relatively more eastward transport, while southwesterly Sirocco winds generated fluxes towards both the north and the south. Eastward transport accounted for the majority of the sediment exported from the subaqueous delta, most likely due to the frequent occurrence of Bora conditions. Progradation of the Po River delta into the Adriatic Sea may restrict the formation of the Western Adriatic Coastal Current, increasing sediment retention at the Po delta and reducing the supply of sediment to the Apennine margin. A positive morphodynamic feedback may therefore be present whereby the extension of the delta into the Adriatic increases sediment accumulation at the delta and facilitates further progradation. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V.

Marine Geology↗
USGS2008

Development of a three-dimensional, regional, coupled wave, current, and sediment-transport model

We are developing a three-dimensional numerical model that implements algorithms for sediment transport and evolution of bottom morphology in the coastal-circulation model Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS v3.0), and provides a two-way link between ROMS and the wave model Simulating Waves in the Nearshore (SWAN) via the Model-Coupling Toolkit. The coupled model is applicable for fluvial, estuarine, shelf, and nearshore (surfzone) environments. Three-dimensional radiation-stress terms have been included in the momentum equations, along with effects of a surface wave roller model. The sediment-transport algorithms are implemented for an unlimited number of user-defined non-cohesive sediment classes. Each class has attributes of grain diameter, density, settling velocity, critical stress threshold for erosion, and erodibility constant. Suspended-sediment transport in the water column is computed with the same advection-diffusion algorithm used for all passive tracers and an additional algorithm for vertical settling that is not limited by the CFL criterion. Erosion and deposition are based on flux formulations. A multi-level bed framework tracks the distribution of every size class in each layer and stores bulk properties including layer thickness, porosity, and mass, allowing computation of bed morphology and stratigraphy. Also tracked are bed-surface properties including active-layer thickness, ripple geometry, and bed roughness. Bedload transport is calculated for mobile sediment classes in the top layer. Bottom-boundary layer submodels parameterize wave-current interactions that enhance bottom stresses and thereby facilitate sediment transport and increase bottom drag, creating a feedback to the circulation. The model is demonstrated in a series of simple test cases and a realistic application in Massachusetts Bay.

Computers & Geosciences↗
USGS2008

Ocean forecasting in terrain-following coordinates: Formulation and skill assessment of the Regional Ocean Modeling System

Systematic improvements in algorithmic design of regional ocean circulation models have led to significant enhancement in simulation ability across a wide range of space/time scales and marine system types. As an example, we briefly review the Regional Ocean Modeling System, a member of a general class of three-dimensional, free-surface, terrain-following numerical models. Noteworthy characteristics of the ROMS computational kernel include: consistent temporal averaging of the barotropic mode to guarantee both exact conservation and constancy preservation properties for tracers; redefined barotropic pressure-gradient terms to account for local variations in the density field; vertical interpolation performed using conservative parabolic splines; and higher-order, quasi-monotone advection algorithms. Examples of quantitative skill assessment are shown for a tidally driven estuary, an ice-covered high-latitude sea, a wind- and buoyancy-forced continental shelf, and a mid-latitude ocean basin. The combination of moderate-order spatial approximations, enhanced conservation properties, and quasi-monotone advection produces both more robust and accurate, and less diffusive, solutions than those produced in earlier terrain-following ocean models. Together with advanced methods of data assimilation and novel observing system technologies, these capabilities constitute the necessary ingredients for multi-purpose regional ocean prediction systems.

Journal of Computational Physics↗
USGS2007

Measurements of storm and nonstorm circulation in the northern Adriatic: October 2002 Through April 2003

Fifteen bottom-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers were deployed from October 2002 through April 2003 in the northern Adriatic Sea. Average transport from the portion of the Western Adriatic Current (WAC) along the Italian slope was 0.1470 ?? 0.0043 Sv, punctuated by bursts of more than twice that amount during storm events. Monthly means were calculated with times of strong wind-driven circulation excluded. These suggest a 2002/2003 seasonal separation consisting of October, December through February, and March through April. An extreme Po River flood influenced November conditions making seasonal categorization difficult. October generally had more kinetic energy and more vertical structure than other months, and near-inertial waves were more frequent in April and October. The Eastern Adriatic Current (EAC)/WAC (i.e. inflow/outflow) system was clearly present in the means for all months. The cyclonic gyre north of the Po River was present October through February. Generally, in the WAC, over 50% of kinetic energy came from vertically uniform monthly mean flows. Elsewhere, eddy kinetic energy was stronger than mean kinetic energy with 10-40% contributions for vertically uniform monthly mean flows, 40-60% for vertically uniform monthly varying flows, and 10-30% for vertically varying monthly varying flows. Mean currents for bora storms indicate enhancement of the EAC/WAC and the cyclonic northern gyre, a shift toward Kvarner Bay in EAC direction, a circulation null point south of the Po, and double-gyre bifurcation of flow at Istria. Strengthening of both the EAC and WAC also occurs during sirocco storms. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans↗
USGS2007

Bora event variability and the role of air-sea feedback

A two-way interacting high resolution numerical simulation of the Adriatic Sea using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) and Coupled Ocean/ Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS??) was conducted to improve forecast momentum and heat flux fields, and to evaluate surface flux field differences for two consecutive bora events during February 2003. (COAMPS?? is a registered trademark of the Naval Research Laboratory.) The strength, mean positions and extensions of the bora jets, and the atmospheric conditions driving them varied considerably between the two events. Bora 1 had 62% stronger heat flux and 51% larger momentum flux than bora 2. The latter displayed much greater diurnal variability characterized by inertial oscillations and the early morning strengthening of a west Adriatic barrier jet, beneath which a stronger west Adriatic ocean current developed. Elsewhere, surface ocean current differences between the two events were directly related to differences in wind stress curl generated by the position and strength of the individual bora jets. The mean heat flux bias was reduced by 72%, and heat flux RMSE reduced by 30% on average at four instrumented over-water sites in the two-way coupled simulation relative to the uncoupled control. Largest reductions in wind stress were found in the bora jets, while the biggest reductions in heat flux were found along the north and west coasts of the Adriatic. In bora 2, SST gradients impacted the wind stress curl along the north and west coasts, and in bora 1 wind stress curl was sensitive to the Istrian front position and strength. The two-way coupled simulation produced diminished surface current speeds of ???12% over the northern Adriatic during both bora compared with a one-way coupled simulation. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans↗
USGS2007

Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense in the western Gulf of Maine in 1993 and 1994: A comparative modeling study

Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense commonly occur in the western Gulf of Maine but the amount of toxin observed in coastal shellfish is highly variable. In this study, a coupled physical-biological model is used to investigate the dynamics underlying the observed A. fundyense abundance and shellfish toxicity in 1993 (a high toxicity year) and 1994 (low toxicity year). The physical model simulates the spring circulation, while the biological model estimates the germination and population dynamics of A. fundyense based on laboratory and field data. The model captures the large-scale aspects of the initiation and development of A. fundyense blooms during both years, but small-scale patchiness and the dynamics of bloom termination remain problematic. In both cases, the germination of resting cysts accounts for the magnitude of A. fundyense populations early in the spring. Simulations with low net A. fundyense growth rates capture the mean observed concentration during the bloom peak, which is of similar magnitude during both years. There is little evidence that large-scale changes in biological dynamics between 1993 and 1994 were a primary driver of the differences in shellfish toxicity. Results instead suggest that the persistent southwesterly flow of the western Maine Coastal Current led to A. fundyense populations of similar alongshore extent by late May of both years. This period coincides with peak cell abundance in the region. Variations in wind forcing (downwelling favorable in 1993, upwelling favorable in 1994) and subsequent cell transport (inshore in 1993, offshore in 1994) in early June then provides a plausible explanation for the dramatic mid-June differences in shellfish toxicity throughout the western Gulf of Maine. ?? 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Continental Shelf Research↗
USGS2006

Surface drifter derived circulation in the northern and middle Adriatic Sea: Response to wind regime and season

More than 120 satellite-tracked drifters were deployed in the northern and middle Adriatic (NMA) Sea between September 2002 and November 2003, with the purpose of studying the surface circulation at mesoscale to seasonal scale in relation to wind forcing, river runoff, and bottom topography. Pseudo-Eulerian and Lagrangian statistics were calculated from the low-pass-filtered drifter velocity data between September 2002 and December 2003. The structure of the mean circulation is determined with unprecedented high horizontal resolution by the new data. In particular, mean currents, velocity variance, and kinetic energy levels are shown to be maximal in the Western Adriatic Current (WAC). Separating data into seasons, we found that the mean kinetic energy is maximal in fall, with high values also in winter, while it is significantly weaker in summer. High-resolution Local Area Model Italy winds were used to relate the drifter velocities to the wind fields. The surface currents appear to be significantly influenced by the winds. The mean flow during the northeasterly bora regime shows an intensification of the across-basin recirculating currents. In addition, the WAC is strongly intensified both in intensity and in its offshore lateral extension. In the southeasterly sirocco regime, northward flow without recirculation dominates in the eastern half of the basin, while during northwesterly maestro the WAC is enhanced. Separating the data into low and high Po River discharge rates for low-wind conditions shows that the WAC and the velocity fluctuations in front of the Po delta are stronger for high Po River runoff. Lagrangian covariance, diffusivity, and integral time and space scales are larger in the along-basin direction and are maximal in the southern portion of the WAC. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans↗
USGS2006

February 2003 marine atmospheric conditions and the bora over the northern Adriatic

A winter oceanographic field experiment provided an opportunity to examine the atmospheric marine conditions over the northern Adriatic. Mean February winds are from a northeasterly direction over most of the Adriatic and a more northerly direction along the western coast. Wind speeds are fastest in jets over the NE coast during bora events and weakest in the mid-northwestern Adriatic. Diurnal air temperature cycles are smallest on the NE coast and largest in the midwestern Adriatic. The maximum sea-air difference is +10??C on the eastern coast and near zero on the midwestern Adriatic. Boras are northeasterly (from) wind events that sweep off Croatia and Slovenia, bringing slightly colder and drier air over the northern Adriatic. The main bora season is December to March. Winter 2002-2003 was normal for bora events. Synoptic-scale temporal variations are correlated over the northern Adriatic. Fastest Bora winds and highest wind stress over the northern Adriatic is concentrated in four topographically controlled jets. The strongest is the Senj Jet, while the Trieste Jet extends across the entire northern Adriatic. Between each two jets is a weak wind zone. The greatest mean net heat loss is in bora jets in the NE Adriatic, where it was -438 W m-2 and is weakest in the midwestern northern Adriatic, where it was near zero. Wind stress is concentrated over the NE half of Adriatic in four bora jets, while wind stress is weak in the NW Adriatic. There is significant variation in wind stress mean and standard deviation structure over the northern Adriatic with each bora event. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans↗
USGS2005

Toxic Alexandrium blooms in the western Gulf of Maine: The plume advection hypothesis revisited

The plume advection hypothesis links blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense in the western Gulf of Maine (GOM) to a buoyant plume derived from river outflows. This hypothesis was examined with cruise and moored-instrument observations in 1993 when levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins were high, and in 1994 when toxicity was low. A coupled physical-biological model simulated hydrography and A. fundyense distributions. Initial A. fundyense populations were restricted to low-salinity nearshore waters near Casco Bay, but also occurred in higher salinity waters along the plume boundary. This suggests two sources of cells - those from shallow-water cyst populations and those transported to shore from offshore blooms in the eastern segment of the Maine coastal current (EMCC). Observations confirm the role of the plume in A. fundyense transport and growth. Downwelling-favorable winds in 1993 transported the plume and its cells rapidly alongshore, enhancing toxicity and propagating PSP to the south. In 1994, sustained upwelling moved the plume offshore, resulting in low toxicity in intertidal shellfish. A. fundyense blooms were likely nutrient limited, leading to low growth rates and moderate cell abundances. These observations and mechanisms were reproduced by coupled physical-biological model simulations. The plume advection hypothesis provides a viable explanation for outbreaks of PSP in the western GOM, but should be refined to include two sources for cells that populate the plume and two major pathways for transport: one within the low-salinity plume and another where A. fundyense cells originating in the EMCC are transported along the outer boundary of the plume front with the western segment of the Maine coastal current.

Casco Bay, Gulf of Maine↗
USGS2005

The kinematic and hydrographic structure of the Gulf of Maine Coastal Current

The Gulf of Maine Coastal Current (GMCC), which extends from southern Nova Scotia to Cape Cod Massachusetts, was investigated from 1998 to 2001 by means of extensive hydrographic surveys, current meter moorings, tracked drifters, and satellite-derived thermal imagery. The study focused on two principal branches of the GMCC, the Eastern Maine Coastal Current (EMCC) that extends along the eastern coast of Maine to Penobscot Bay, and the Western Maine Coastal Current (WMCC) that extends westward from Penobscot Bay to Massachusetts Bay. Results confirm that GMCC is primarily a pressure gradient-driven system with both principal branches increasing their transport in the spring and summer due to fresh-water inflows, and flowing southwestward against the mean wind forcing during this period. In the spring and summer the subtidal surface currents in the EMCC range from 0.15 to 0.30 ms −1 while subtidal WMCC currents range from 0.05 to 0.15 ms −1 . The reduction of southwestward transport near Penobscot Bay is accomplished via an offshore veering of a variable portion of the EMCC, some of which recirculates cyclonically within the eastern Gulf of Maine. The degree of summer offshore veering, versus leakage into the WMCC, varied strongly over the three study years, from nearly complete disruption in 1998 to nearly continuous through-flow in 2000. Observations show strong seasonal and interannual variability in both the strength of the GMCC and the degree of connectivity of its principal branches.

Gulf of Maine, Jordan Basin↗
USGS2005

Performance of four turbulence closure models implemented using a generic length scale method

A two-equation turbulence model (one equation for turbulence kinetic energy and a second for a generic turbulence length-scale quantity) proposed by Umlauf and Burchard [J. Marine Research 61 (2003) 235] is implemented in a three-dimensional oceanographic model (Regional Oceanographic Modeling System; ROMS v2.0). These two equations, along with several stability functions, can represent many popular turbulence closures, including the k-kl (Mellor-Yamada Level 2.5), k-??, and k-?? schemes. The implementation adds flexibility to the model by providing an unprecedented range of turbulence closure selections in a single 3D oceanographic model and allows comparison and evaluation of turbulence models in an otherwise identical numerical environment. This also allows evaluation of the effect of turbulence models on other processes such as suspended-sediment distribution or ecological processes. Performance of the turbulence models and sediment-transport schemes is investigated with three test cases for (1) steady barotropic flow in a rectangular channel, (2) wind-induced surface mixed-layer deepening in a stratified fluid, and (3) oscillatory stratified pressure-gradient driven flow (estuarine circulation) in a rectangular channel. Results from k-??, k-??, and gen (a new closure proposed by Umlauf and Burchard [J. Marine Research 61 (2003) 235]) are very similar for these cases, but the k-kl closure results depend on a wall-proximity function that must be chosen to suit the flow. Greater variations appear in simulations of suspended-sediment concentrations than in salinity simulations because the transport of suspended-sediment amplifies minor variations in the methods. The amplification is caused by the added physics of a vertical settling rate, bottom stress dependent resuspension, and diffusive transport of sediment in regions of well mixed salt and temperature. Despite the amplified sensitivity of sediment to turbulence models in the estuary test case, the four closures investigated here all generated estuarine turbidity maxima that were similar in their shape, location, and concentrations.

Ocean Modelling↗
USGS2003

A mechanism for offshore initiation of harmful algal blooms in the coastal Gulf of Maine

A combination of observations and model results suggest a mechanism by which coastal blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense can be initiated from dormant cysts located in offshore sediments. The mechanism arises from the joint effects of organism behavior and the wind-driven response of a surface-trapped plume of fresh water originating from riverine sources. During upwelling-favorable winds, the plume thins vertically and extends offshore; downwelling winds thicken the plume and confine it to the nearshore region. In the western Gulf of Maine, the offshore extent of the river plume during upwelling conditions is suffcient to entrain upward-swimming A. fundyense cells germinated from offshore cyst beds. Subsequent downwelling conditions then transport those populations towards the coast.

Journal of Plankton Research↗
USGS2000

Predicting the physical effects of relocating Boston's sewage outfall

Boston is scheduled to cease discharge of sewage effluent in Boston Harbor in Spring 2000 and begin discharge at a site 14 km offshore in Massachusetts Bay in a water depth of about 30 m. The effects of this outfall relocation on effluent dilution, salinity and circulation are predicted with a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model. The simulations predict that the new bay outfall will greatly decrease effluent concentrations in Boston Harbor (relative to the harbour outfall) and will not significantly change mean effluent concentrations over most of Massachusetts Bay. With the harbour outfall, previous observations and these simulations show that effluent concentrations exceed 0??5% throughout the harbour, with a harbour wide average of 1-2%. With the bay outfall, effluent concentrations exceed 0??5% only within a few km of the new outfall, and harbour concentrations drop to 0??1-0??2%, a 10-fold reduction. During unstratified winter conditions, the local increase in effluent concentration at the bay outfall site is predicted to exist throughout the water column. During stratified summer conditions, however, effluent released at the sea bed rises and is trapped beneath the pycnocline. The local increase in effluent concentration is limited to the lower layer, and as a result, surface layer effluent concentrations in the vicinity of the new outfall site are predicted to decrease (relative to the harbour outfall) during the summer. Slight changes are predicted for the salinity and circulation fields. Removing the fresh water associated with the effluent discharge in Boston Harbor is predicted to increase the mean salinity of the harbour by 0??5 and decrease the mean salinity by 0??10-0??15 within 2-3 km of the outfall. Relative to the existing mean flow, the buoyant discharge at the new outfall is predicted to generate density-driven mean currents of 2-4 cm s-1 that spiral out in a clockwise motion at the surface during winter and at the pycnocline (15-20 m depth) during summer. Compensating counterclockwise currents are predicted to spiral in toward the source at the bottom. Because the scale of the residual current structure induced by the new discharge is comparable to or smaller than typical subtidal water parcel excursions, Lagrangian trajectories will not follow the Eulerian residual flow. Thus, mean currents measured from moorings within 5 km of the bay outfall site will be more useful for model comparison than to indicate net transport pathways.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2000

Bottom currents and sediment transport in Long Island Sound: A modeling study

A high resolution (300-400 m grid spacing), process oriented modeling study was undertaken to elucidate the physical processes affecting the characteristics and distribution of sea-floor sedimentary environments in Long Island Sound. Simulations using idealized forcing and high-resolution bathymetry were performed using a three-dimensional circulation model ECOM (Blumberg and Mellor, 1987) and a stationary shallow water wave model HISWA (Holthuijsen et al., 1989). The relative contributions of tide-, density-, wind- and wave-driven bottom currents are assessed and related to observed characteristics of the sea-floor environments, and simple bedload sediment transport simulations are performed. The fine grid spacing allows features with scales of several kilometers to be resolved. The simulations clearly show physical processes that affect the observed sea-floor characteristics at both regional and local scales. Simulations of near-bottom tidal currents reveal a strong gradient in the funnel-shaped eastern part of the Sound, which parallels an observed gradient in sedimentary environments from erosion or nondeposition, through bedload transport and sediment sorting, to fine-grained deposition. A simulation of estuarine flow driven by the along-axis gradient in salinity shows generally westward bottom currents of 2-4 cm/s that are locally enhanced to 6-8 cm/s along the axial depression of the Sound. Bottom wind-driven currents flow downwind along the shallow margins of the basin, but flow against the wind in the deeper regions. These bottom flows (in opposition to the wind) are strongest in the axial depression and add to the estuarine flow when winds are from the west. The combination of enhanced bottom currents due to both estuarine circulation and the prevailing westerly winds provide an explanation for the relatively coarse sediments found along parts of the axial depression. Climatological simulations of wave-driven bottom currents show that frequent high-energy events occur along the shallow margins of the Sound, explaining the occurrence of relatively coarse sediments in these regions. Bedload sediment transport calculations show that the estuarine circulation coupled with the oscillatory tidal currents result in a net westward transport of sand in much of the eastern Sound. Local departures from this regional westward trend occur around topographic and shoreline irregularities, and there is strong predicted convergence of bedload transport over most of the large, linear sand ridges in the eastern Sound, providing a mechanism which prevents their decay. The strong correlation between the near-bottom current intensity based on the model results and the sediment response, as indicated by the distribution of sedimentary environments, provides a framework for predicting the long-term effects of anthropogenic activities.

New York↗
USGS1999

Seafloor environments in the Long Island Sound estuarine system

Four categories of modern seafloor sedimentary environments have been identified and mapped across the large, glaciated, topographically complex Long Island Sound estuary by means of an extensive regional set of sidescan sonographs, bottom samples, and video-camera observations and supplemental marine-geologic and modeled physical-oceanographic data. (1) Environments of erosion or nondeposition contain sediments which range from boulder fields to gravelly coarse-to-medium sands and appear on the sonographs either as patterns with isolated reflections (caused by outcrops of glacial drift and bedrock) or as patterns of strong backscatter (caused by coarse lag deposits). Areas of erosion or nondeposition were found across the rugged seafloor at the eastern entrance of the Sound and atop bathymetric highs and within constricted depressions in other parts of the basin. (2) Environments of bedload transport contain mostly coarse-to-fine sand with only small amounts of mud and are depicted by sonograph patterns of sand ribbons and sand waves. Areas of bedload transport were found primarily in the eastern Sound where bottom currents have sculptured the surface of a Holocene marine delta and are moving these sediments toward the WSW into the estuary. (3) Environments of sediment sorting and reworking comprise variable amounts of fine sand and mud and are characterized either by patterns of moderate backscatter or by patterns with patches of moderate-to-weak backscatter that reflect a combination of erosion and deposition. Areas of sediment sorting and reworking were found around the periphery of the zone of bedload transport in the eastern Sound and along the southern nearshore margin. They also are located atop low knolls, on the flanks of shoal complexes, and within segments of the axial depression in the western Sound. (4) Environments of deposition are blanketed by muds and muddy fine sands that produce patterns of uniformly weak backscatter. Depositional areas occupy broad areas of the basin floor in the western part of the Sound. The regional distribution of seafloor environments reflects fundamental differences in marine-geologic conditions between the eastern and western parts of the Sound. In the funnel-shaped eastern part, a gradient of strong tidal currents coupled with the net nontidal (estuarine) bottom drift produce a westward progression of environments ranging from erosion or nondeposition at the narrow entrance to the Sound, through an extensive area of bedload transport, to a peripheral zone of sediment sorting. In the generally broader western part of the Sound, a weak tidal-current regime combined with the production of particle aggregates by biologic or chemical processes, cause large areas of deposition that are locally interrupted by a patchy distribution of various other environments where the bottom currents are enhanced by and interact with the seafloor topography.

Marine Geology↗
USGS1998

Hydrodynamic forcing and sediment character in Boston Harbor

Calculated annual excess skin friction stress at various locations in Quincy Bay (outer Boston Harbor) was found to be correlated positively with sediment sand content. The correlation was optimized when a critical shear stress (??c) of 0.085 Pa was assumed for the bay. The excess shear stress was correlated negatively with sediment lead (Pb) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations. These correlations suggest that area surveys of properties like sand content may be sufficient to estimate ??C.

Massachussetts↗
USGS1997

Effect of wave-enhanced bottom friction on storm-driven circulation in Massachusetts Bay

Massachusetts Bay is a shallow (35 m average depth) semienclosed embayment, roughly 100 ?? 50 km, which opens into the Gulf of Maine at its eastern boundary. Surface waves associated with winter storm winds from the northeast cause large sediment resuspension events, and wave and circulation fields during these events have a quasi-steady response to the wind stress. Coupled wave, circulation, and boundary layer models indicate that wave-enhanced bottom friction has a significant damping effect on storm-driven circulation in Massachusetts Bay. The simulated response exhibits significant three-dimensional structure, but still can be fundamentally understood using idealized models. The depth-integrated momentum balance is dominated by along-bay stress, pressure gradient, and bottom stress. The effective bottom drag coefficient during typical storm conditions is increased by a factor of 2-5 when wave effects are included, but the mean bottom stress is relatively unaffected by wave effects due to a reduction in bottom currents by 30-50%. The vertical mixing is also relatively unaffected by the waves, and the result is that the increased drag causes a nearly depth-independent offset of the vertical current profiles. The alongshore transport in the bay is reduced 10-50%, depending on wind direction.

Cape Cod Bay, Massachussetts Bay↗