Wave-Current Interaction in Coastal Inlets and River Mouths

• Main Authors: Janssen, Tim T, Herbers, Thomas H
• Format: Publication
• Language: English
• Published: 30.09.2011
• Subjects: BATHYMETRY; CIRCULATION; COASTAL REGIONS; CURRENTS; DATA BASES; HETEROGENEITY; MOUTH; NONLINEAR SYSTEMS; PHYSICAL AND DYNAMIC OCEANOGRAPHY; RIVERS; SHEAR PROPERTIES; STATISTICS; WAVES

Sponsored in part by ONR grant no. MIPR-N0001411WX20873. The wave-driven dynamics of coastal areas are important for circulation and mixing, transport processes, and accessibility by vessels. The long-term goal of this study is to improve our understanding, observational capability, and model representation of wave-current interaction in complex coastal inlets, and determine the role of nonlinearity and inhomogeneity on wave statistics in such areas. The specific objectives of this study are to: 1) develop observational capability using wave- and current-resolving Lagrangian drifters to study wave-current interaction, and contribute to a comprehensive community data set of coastal inlet and river mouth processes, 2) better understand the role of current shear and wave inhomogeneity and nonlinearity in wave-current interaction through analysis of observations and modeling, and 3) develop predictive modeling capability of wave statistics in a complex coastal environment with two-dimensional bathymetry and currents.