Even–odd analysis on a complex shoreline

An even–odd signal decomposition is performed on a complex shoreline having a longshore sediment transport gradient. The expected impact of erosion due to a navigation channel and structures is discussed and implications of the transport gradient on the decomposed shoreline signal are noted.     

A tale of two wave trains

The present study is an investigation into the transfer of the wave energy as it propagates through the surf zone and the consequent evolution of the wave trains and the corresponding envelope of the wave trains. The generation of long wave energy is investigated and one approach to developing the nonlinear transfer function for the transformation process is attempted. A nondimensionalized format for expressing the data is suggested for clarifying future studies of this type.     

Projected sea level rise in Florida

Future sea level rise will lead to salt water intrusion, beach/dune recession, and many other coastal problems. This paper addresses a data based forecasting approach to provide relative sea level rise estimates at locations in Florida where historical water level data exist. Many past estimates of sea level rise have treated the rise as a linear straight line trend over the historical data set. The present paper has allowed for acceleration (or deceleration) in sea level rise to account for the possibility of anthropogenic global warming and consequent higher (than linear straight line) future sea levels similar to values noted by global climatic modelers. Results of the present analysis show sea level rise for Florida being higher than past straight line trend results.     

The effect of bathymetric filtering on nearshore process model results

Nearshore wave and flow model results are shown to exhibit a strong sensitivity to the resolution of the input bathymetry. In this analysis, bathymetric resolution was varied by applying smoothing filters to high-resolution survey data to produce a number of bathymetric grid surfaces. We demonstrate that the sensitivity of model-predicted wave height and flow to variations in bathymetric resolution had different characteristics. Wave height predictions were most sensitive to resolution of cross-shore variability associated with the structure of nearshore sandbars. Flow predictions were most sensitive to the resolution of intermediate scale alongshore variability associated with the prominent sandbar rhythmicity. Flow sensitivity increased in cases where a sandbar was closer to shore and shallower. Perhaps the most surprising implication of these results is that the interpolation and smoothing of bathymetric data could be optimized differently for the wave and flow models. We show that errors between observed and modeled flow and wave heights are well predicted by comparing model simulation results using progressively filtered bathymetry to results from the highest resolution simulation. The damage done by over smoothing or inadequate sampling can therefore be estimated using model simulations. We conclude that the ability to quantify prediction errors will be useful for supporting future data assimilation efforts that require this information.     

Landward limit of wind setup on beaches

Open coast storm surge water levels consist of a wind shear forcing component generally referred to as wind setup; a wave setup component caused by wind-induced waves transferring momentum to the water column; an atmospheric pressure head component due to the atmospheric pressure deficit over the spatial extent of the storm system; a Coriolis-forced component due to effects of the rotation of the earth acting on the wind-driven alongshore current at the coast; and, if astronomical tides are present, an astronomical tide component. Astronomical tide is considered to be predictable and, therefore, not a meteorological driven component of storm surge although there may be interaction between the tide and meteorological driven water levels. Typically the most important component of storm surge on the US East Coast and Gulf of Mexico shorelines is the wind setup component. The importance of inland flooding due to the wind setup component of storm surge is considered herein with special reference to the effect of subaerial slope on inland flooding where three different linear slopes are considered and storm surge is calculated for the region above still water level, using an analytic solution. The present study findings show that the inland storm surge from the wind setup component can be of considerable importance and lead to significantly higher storm surges than found for storm surge at the still water level intersection of the beach/land. It is shown that mild slopes can lead to very high water levels at the land–water interface (i.e. above the still water level intersection of the beach).     

Land use and the spatial distribution of perfluoroalkyl compounds as measured in the plasma of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

The distribution of perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) in the environment is well documented with higher concentrations observed in wildlife located in industrial and urban areas. This study examined the distribution of PFCs in relation to land use using blood samples collected from bottlenose dolphins during capture-release health assessment surveys conducted in Charleston, SC. The study area was partitioned into three subareas (ACW, CHS, and SRE) based upon habitat and land use characteristics. The ACW and CHS subareas are characterized by high degrees of industrial and urban land uses, while the SRE subarea is more residential and characterized by a lower degree of developed land use. Long-term monitoring data from photo-identification surveys were used to group bottlenose dolphins based on their proportions of sightings in the different subareas. Dolphins affiliated with both the ACW and CHS subareas were observed to have significantly higher mean plasma concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) than those affiliated with the SRE subarea. Dolphins affiliated with the ACW subarea were found to have a significantly higher mean plasma concentration of PFUnA than those affiliated with the CHS subarea. Further examination of the distribution of the PFCs revealed positive correlations with developed land uses and negative correlations with wetland/marsh land cover. A positive correlation was also observed between PFUnA and agricultural land use. The variability and scale of the observed contaminant burdens have important implications for the conservation and management of living marine resources and illustrates the importance of long-term monitoring of free-ranging wildlife species.     

The distributions of uranium, radium and thorium isotopes in two anoxic fjords: Framvaren Fjord (Norway) and Saanich Inlet (British Columbia)

Depth profiles of the naturally-occurring radionuclides ²³⁸U, ²³⁴U, ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and ²²⁸Th were obtained in two diverse anoxic marine environments; the permanently anoxic Framvaren Fjord in southern Norway and the intermittently anoxic Saanich Inlet in British Columbia. Concentrations of total H₂S were over three orders of magnitude greater in the anoxic bottom waters of Framvaren Fjord compared to those in Saanich Inlet.In Framvaren Fjord, the O₂/H₂S interface was located at 17 m. While dissolved ²³⁸U behaved conservatively throughout the oxic and anoxic water columns, concentrations based on the ²³⁸U/salinity ratio in oxic oceanic waters were almost 30% lower. Dissolved ²²⁶Ra displayed a sharp maximum just below the O₂/H₂S interface, coinciding with dissolved Mn (II) and Fe (II) maxima in this zone. It is suggested that reductive dissolution of Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides remobilizes ²²⁶Ra in this region.In Saanich Inlet, the O₂/H₂S interface was located at 175 m. Dissolved ²³⁸U displayed a strongly nonconservative distribution. The depth profiles of dissolved ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Th correlated well with the distribution of dissolved Mn (II) in the suboxic waters above the O₂/H₂S interface, suggesting that reduction of particulate Mn regulates the behavior of ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Th in this region.Removal residence times for dissolved ²²⁸Th in the surface oxic waters of both systems are longer than those generally reported for particle-reactive radionuclides in coastal marine environments. In the anoxic waters of Framvaren Fjord and Saanich Inlet, however, the dissolved ²²⁸Th removal residence times are quite similar to values reported for dissolved ²¹⁰Pb in the anoxic waters of the Cariaco Trench and the Orca Basin. This implies that the geochemistries of Th and Pb may be similar in anoxic marine waters.     

Using logistic regression to merge mineral resource databases

The purpose of this project was to develop and test a methodology for determining the likelihood that mineral resource location records from two nationwide mineral resource information databases represent the same site. The long-term goal is to create a comprehensive database by merging the Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS) of the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Mineral Availability System/Mineral Industry Location System (MAS/MILS) of the U.S. Bureau of Mines (now part of the Geological Survey). Part of that process involves linking records for the same site from each database. Match probabilities were estimated using a logistic regression of mineral resource location attributes, derived from known matched (cross-referenced) and known unmatched randomly sampled mineral site pairs from within the conterminous United States (n=10,000). Model accuracy was assessed using a randomly sampled test dataset, not used in logistic model development (n=4,000). Probability distributions were similar between the development and test datasets. The overall agreement beyond chance was good for the test data set using the kappa statistic. Classification accuracy was 89.6% for known matched site pairs and 84.0% for known unmatched site pairs based on a probability threshold of 0.50 for a match. Distributions of attributes were similar between the development and test datasets. This classification method is a viable approach for estimating match probabilities between database records.