Using high-resolution ocean models to determine the importance of wind-wave induced sediment transport in estuaries

Salme Cook, Ohio Supercomputer Center

Usage Details

Ocean tides represent a major forcing mechanism in many coastal environments, responsible for the transport of salt, temperature, sediment, nutrients, and pollutants. Increases in population density and associated anthropogenic impacts have altered the productivity of estuarine environments, resulting in increased nutrient loading and amplified suspended sediment that reduces water quality. To accurately predict sediment transport, a good understanding of the bed shear stress that drives the sediment erosion, suspension and deposition is essential. In this work, a high-resolution three-dimensional coupled hydrodynamic-wave-sediment transport numerical model (COAWST) was implemented and verified in a tidally dominated estuary, located in the Gulf of Maine. The model is used in conjunction with available observational datasets to predict the shear stress distribution from the tidal channels across the mudflat.