Research Summaries

Back GOMRI-NRL Phase 2: Nearshore Observations

Fiscal Year 2016
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Oceanography
Investigator(s) MacMahan, James H.
Sponsor Naval Research Laboratory (Navy)
Summary Phase 1 results highlighted the importance of the inlet plumes in modifying cross-shore exchange, stratification, and significantly different surface and subsurface currents. Based on these findings, Phase 2 will focus on obtaining measurements to understand these processes better, which are describe the surface transport of oil. Understanding nearshore material transport is critical for the Navy as this influences the optical, acoustical, and buoyancy properties of the battlespace environment. This study parallels efforts at Office of Naval Research Littoral Geosciences and Optics program. I am performing a similar ONR study on the West Coast in FY15 and FY17. The work in the Gulf of Mexico CARTHE complements the West Coast ONR experiments.
This follow-on research effort to expand our understanding of cross-shore transport of material between the surf zone and the inner-shelf will continue to leverage the expertise of the collaborators. Naval Research Laboratory and University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) has expertise in atmosphere and ocean dynamics, coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean modeling, air-sea interactions, ocean observations, tropical cyclones and oil fate/transport modeling.
Keywords Inner Shelf Oil Transport cross-shore exchange surf zone
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal