Observations and Modeling of the West Florida Continental Shelf Circulation
Abstract
My long-term goal is improved understanding of how physical processes affect material property distributions on continental shelves. These include biological (red-tide algae and fish larvae), chemical (nutrients), and geological (sediment resuspension/transport) measures, and the physical responses of the currents and sea level. To achieve this goal I must accomplish a related set of objectives. In logical order, these are. 1) I am developing a description of the seasonally varying circulation on the West Florida Continental Shelf (WFS) using a combination of in-situ measurements and numerical circulation models. 2) Along with description, I am developing a quantitative understanding of how the various forcing functions: tides; synoptic weather; and surface, coastal, and offshore buoyancy fluxes affect the WFS circulation. 3) I am determining how these processes affect along and across-shelf material property transports, with emphasis on the frictional boundary layers. 4) Given large seasonal transitions, I am assessing the relative importances of the surface heat and fresh water fluxes and the coastal ocean dynamics in determining WFS water properties. 5) I want to relate these foregoing physical factors to questions of geological, biological, and chemical importance; for example, storm surges, sediment redistributions, nutrient distributions, species migrations and successions, primary productivity, red-tides, and how all of these factors affect inherent optical properties (IOPs). 6) Since these objectives require sampling over various time and length scales using an assortment of instruments, I am working toward a WFS Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN) site south of Tampa Bay that may be useful for naval defense related experimentation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA609811
Entities
People
- Robert H. Weisberg
Organizations
- University of South Florida