Atlantic shelf sand ridge study : physical oceanography and sediment dynamics data report

This report describes and presents the hydrodynamic meaurements made during the Atlantic Shelf Sand Ridge Study at and near Peahala Ridge, offshore of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, in Spring 1985. The intent of this phase of the study was to examine the physical oceanographic and fluid mechanical processes in the vicinity of Peahala Ridge, one of the large shore-oblique sand ridges common in the area, and from this to identify those processes responsible for sand transport near the ridge with particular reference to its generation, maintenance and migration. The field measurement program was carried out from March to May 1985 by scientists and staff of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. It included measurements of currents, temperature, waves, pressure and near-bed velocity profiles. This phase was part of a larger oil industry study that included extensive geological and geophysical measurements of Peahala Ridge and other ridge-and-swale areas of the mid-Atlantic continental shelf.Funding was provided by the Cities Services Oil and Gas Corporation under agreement as of April 25, 1985 and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Coastal Research Center

Beach changes and management options for Nauset Barrier Beach and Orleans Town Beach, Cape Cod, MA : report to the Town of Orleans

The present study investigated the shoreline and dune changes occurrng along Nauset Barrier Beach system during the past sixty years, based on examination of aerial photographs, charts, and other data sources. Significant changes have occurred to the barrier beach and dune systems of Nauset during the fifteeen intervening years since the last major study of the system. The barrier and shoreline in general has continued to retreat, and nearly all the dunes along South Spit have eroded away during storms, so the new profile of the South Spit is extremely low lying and storm waves overtop it frequently. Overwash has resulted in closing off South Channel which separates the Spit from New Island. Dunes near Aspinet Road have been eroded away, causing increased flooding of Aspinet Road. Extensive previous research performed on erosion rates are consistent with the present rates. However, present data from this report include more up-to-date photographs, and include specific attention to dune retreat and recent tidal inlet migration and number of inlets. Such decadal updates on the behavior of Nauset Barrier Beach and the adjacent Orleans Town Beach can provide valuable timely information for assessing management practices for this region.Funding was provided by the Town of Orleans and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Recent evolution of an active barrier beach complex : Popponesset Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Popponesset Spit, the barrier beach sheltering Popponesset Bay on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has experienced large changes in its location and shape over the past thirty years. Concern by the public over loss of this barrier beach and the associated recreational and wildlife resources, as well as its storm-protection function, resulted in a number of studies involving local, state and federal officials. The purpose of these studies was to identify causes and future trends (Benoit and Donahoe, 1979) and to identify engineering solutions to this instability (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1972; Camp, Dresser and McKee, 1981). For various reasons, these studies were incomplete and stated some conclusions which were generally misleading or incorrect. The purpose of the present study was to provide a thorough reexamination of the geological problem at Popponesset Spit, to dispel the misconceptions and to more rigorously document the large-scale changes. The impetus for our concern over the beach was a desire to contribute to an effective, rational management and utilization strategy for this coastal region.Prepared for the Board of Seiectmen of the Town of Mashpee, Commonweaith, MA and for the Department of Commerce, NOAA Office of Sea Grant under Grant NA 80AA-0-00077

Proceedings of a Workshop on Coastal Zone Research in Massachusetts : (November 27-28, 1978)

A workshop on Coastal Zone Research held on 27 and 28 November, 1978, at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, brought together fifty researchers actively studying physical processes in the Massachusetts coastal zone (Appendix 1). Presentations were given by nearly half of the participants to acquaint other researchers with their past, present, and future research interests. Summaries of the presentations are included in Appendix 3. Although the scope of the workshop was narrow, emphasizing only selected aspects of coastal zone research, it represented an important attempt to assess our knowledge of physical processes in the nearshore, and to encourage cooperation and communication between scientists. Two sets of recommendations evolved from the workshop. The first set recommends ways to facilitate scientist - user communication, and provide more rapid dissemination of coastal research results. The second set describes areas of future research in the Massachusetts coastal zone. Neither of the two sets of recommendations is comprehensive: they reflect primarily the opinions and judgements of the workshop participants. Because of the interest expressed by the participants, the workshop will be held on an annual basis until the need for such meetings disappears. Future workshops may have specific goals, e.g. preparation of coastal erosion maps or historical shoreline change maps. Future meetings may also have more state, federal, and local governmental participants in an effort to foster scientist - user communications. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Woods Hole Sea Grant Program and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The Woods Hole Sea Grant Program has offered to co-sponsor future Workshops on Coastal zone Research as part of their continued interest in the Massachusetts coastal zone.Prepared for the Department of Commerce, NOAA Office of Sea Grant under Grant 04-8-M01-149 and the Institution's Marine Policy and Ocean Management Program

Field evaluation of Sea Data directional wave gage : (Model 635-9)

A directional wave gage consisting of a two-axis electromagnetic current meter and a pressure sensor, developed by Sea Data Corporation, with modifications specified by the author, was successfully deployed during the joint NOAA/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Engineering Research Center's Atlantic Remote Sensing Land/Ocean Experiment (ARSLOE) during November, 1980. Data recovery rate was 100%, and instrument function was verified through comparison with a four-element pressure sensor array at the same location, an X-band imaging radar, and with surface meteorological observations charting developing local wave fields. The instrument was proven to be a viable alternative for point measurements of directional wave fields and for estimating the first five fourier coefficients in a directional wave model.Prepared for the Department of Commerce, NOAA Office of Sea Grant under Grants NA79AA -D- 00102 and NA80AA-D-00077 and for the U.S. Army Research Office, Contract DAAG29-81-K-0004

U.S. west coast relative sea levels from tide gauges [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Examining secular changes in relative sea level along the U.S. west coast, we have identified strong tectonic signals. Tectonism exists not only on a coherent plate-wide scale (assuming a rigid plate approximation), but also on a sub-plate scale. In fact, differential tectonism between exotic or suspect geological terrain explains much of the spatial patterns of west coast tide-gauge data. Peltier's isostatic model appears not to explain the spatial pattern, implying glacio-isostatic adjustment is not the dominant contribution to the low-frequency signals. Eustatic effects cannot be identified unambiguously. These studies suggest several major questions/observations with regard to relative sea-level studies ..

Beach changes at Nauset Inlet, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1670-1981

A historical study of barrier beach and inlet changes for the Nauset Inlet region, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was performed to document patterns of beach and inlet change as a preliminary to designing and carrying out ffeld studies of inlet sediment transport. 120 historical charts from 1670 and 125 sets of aerial photographs from 1938 formed the basis for this study. Specific aspects of barrier beach and inlet change addressed include onshore barrier beach movement, longshore tidal inlet migration, and longshore sand bypassing past the inlet. In an effort to correlate forcing events with barrier changes, an exhaustive study of the local storm climate was performed. Detailed treatment of the specific mechanisms responsible for Nauset Inlet migration episodes in a direction opposite the dominant littoral drift are treated in a companion paper by Aubrey, Speer, and Ruder (1982). Documentation of the data base available for the Nauset Area is presented herein as appendices.Prepared for NOAA, 0ffice of Sea Gnant under Grant NA 80-AA-D- 00077 (R/B-21) and for the U.S. Army Research 0ffice under Grant DAAG29-81-K-0004

Development, characteristics, and effects of the new Chatham Harbor inlet

A new tidal inlet into Chatham Harbor, Massachusetts, has developed from a breach in the barrier beach, Nauset Beach, that forms the outer shoreline of southeastern Cape Cod. Increased tidal range and wave energy resulting from the new inlet produced acute coastal erosion and channel shoaling within Chatham Harbor, with significant impacts on the fishing and boating industries, and on private and public propeny and interests. Study results are consistent with the hypothesis that the Nauset-Monomoy barrier beach system undergoes a long-term cycle of geomorphological change, and that a new cycle was initiated with the formation of this new inlet. Based on this new understanding, future changes in the system can be foreseen and provided to coastal resource managers.Funding was provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Environmental Management, Division of Waterways; the Town of Chatham; Woods Hole Sea Grant Program; Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (New England Division and Coastal Engineering Research Center); Town of Orleans; and Friends of Pleasant Bay

Sedimentation study, Environmental Monitoring and Operations Guidance System (EMOGS), Kings Bay, Georgia and Florida : Phase III--FY 1989

Repeated side-scan sonar and multi-frequency bathymetric surveys, accompanied by accurate, high resolution, and repeatable navigation, were conducted in the vicinity of a tidal inlet to define the length and time scales associated with bedforms and channel shoaling in a structured tidal inlet. The study site, St. Mary's entrance channel along the Georgia/Florida border (Fig. I), has a dredged channel approximately 46-52 feet in depth, bordered by a large ebb tidal delta. The tidal inlet serves Cumberland Sound, Kings Bay, and associated waterways, providing a large discharge of water from the inlet that creates bedforms and channel shoaling, given the abundance of sand-sized sediment in the vicinity. The jettied inlet produces flows tht are predominately tidally-driven, whereas farther offshore the driving forces consist predominately of waves and storm-generated flows. In the channel reaches (Table 1) between these two areas, combined wave-steady flows are present, creating a myriad of scales of bedforms and shoaling patterns. This study was designed to elucidate the time and space scales of these variable bedforms and shoaling patterns, emphasizing the difference in these scales between the three different flow regimes. The results provide an important data base for quantifying shoaling processes and mechanisms in tidal inlet channels.Funding was provided by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration under Sea Grant No. NA860A-D-SG090

Sedimentation study, Environmental Monitoring and Operations Guidance System (EMOGS), Kings Bay, Georgia and Florida, 1988-1990 : final report

Repeated side-scan sonar and multi-frequency bathymetric surveys, accompanied by accurate, high resolution, and repeatable navigation, were conducted in the vicinity of a tidal inlet to define the length and time scales associated with bedforms and channel shoaling in a structured tidal inlet. The study site, St. Marys entrance channel along the Georgia/Florida border (Fig. 1), has a dredged channel approximately 46-52 feet in depth at a datum of mean low water (MLW), bordered by a large ebb tidal delta. The tidal inlet serves Cumberland Sound, Kings Bay, and associated waterways, providing a large discharge of water from the inlet that creates bedforms and channel shoaling, given the abundance of sand-size sediment in the vicinity. The jettied inlet produces flows that are predominantly tidally-driven, whereas farther offshore the driving forces consist predominantly of waves and storm-generated flows. In the channel reaches (Table 1) between these two areas, combined wave/steady flows are present, creating a myriad of scales of bedforms and shoaling patterns, emphasizing the difference in these scales between the three different flow regimes. The results provide an important data base for quantifying shoaling processes and mechanisms in tidal inlet channels.Funding was provided by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's Sea Grant Program through Grant NA860-A-D-090