Southeastern Section - 65th Annual Meeting - 2016

Paper No. 12-15
Presentation Time: 8:00 AM-5:30 PM

ALONGSHORE MOMENTUM BALANCE OVER SHOREFACE-CONNECTED RIDGES, FIRE ISLAND, NY


OFSTHUN, Conor, Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of South Carolina - Columbia, 701 Sumter St, Columbia, SC 29208, VOULGARIS, George, Department of Earth & Ocean Sciences, University of South Carolina, Earth & Ocean Sciences, 701 Sumter Street, EWS 617, Columbia, SC 29208 and WARNER, John C., U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, 384 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA 02543, cofsthun@geol.sc.edu

Shoreface-connected ridges (SFCRs) have been extensively studied to determine their creation and maintenance mechanisms, as well as for use as a sand resource in beach nourishment. Thus far, the maintenance mechanism for SFCRs has been described as an offshore veering of currents at ridge crests, causing current convergence, a lower sediment carrying capacity, and ultimately sediment deposition at the crest. In this study, we present in-situ collected flow data over SFCRs in the inner shelf (water depth~12m). Meterological, oceanographic, and bathymetric conditions are compared to describe the environment of SFCRs. Momentum balance analysis will be performed to identify the forces and responses of this environment. The ultimate goal is to further describe and discover the relationship between inner shelf flows and SFCRs.