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2002 LAPCOD Meeting
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Near-Surface Transport and Mixing in High Frequency Radar Measurements on the Coast of Florida and Application to Contaminant Release
G. Haller, F. Lekien, A. Mariano, E. Ryan, L. K. Shay
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ghaller@mit.edu(Abstract received 11/01/2002 for session B)
ABSTRACT
We describe a dynamical systems framework for Lagrangian transport in time-chaotic flows. In particular, we will show how dynamical systems theory can now be utilized in the context of real-world problems, such as those derived from the remote sensing observations or the output of a large-scale numerical model. We will illustrate these methods with a study of fluid transport near the Atlantic coast of Florida using a velocity field observed experimentally from very high frequency (VHF) radar measurements. We show that modern remote sensing techniques and recent development in dynamical systems theory can be used to analyze and predict the Lagrangian behavior in this region. If the contaminants are released at a non-optimal time, the contaminants will be trapped near the coastline by a repelling material line, which is a barrier to transport. If the contaminants are released at an optimal time, chosen when the attachment point of the stable manifold drifts below the release site, the contaminants are caught in the Northern current and carried quickly out of the domain. We used this procedure to explore the use of a small holding tank and compare different contaminant density reduction possibilities in this Florida coastal area.
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2002 LAPCOD Meeting, Key Largo, Florida, December 12-16, 2000