Coastal Ocean Dynamics

The coastal ocean is special for a variety of reasons. It is here that society, including a wide variety of special interests, interacts most strongly with the oceans. In addition, many coastal regions are environmentally sensitive and play a critical role in marine ecosystems dynamics. There is an inextricably close link between the physics of coastal and nearshore flows, the associated biology, and societal implications.

Sunrise Beach
Abaco, Bahamas
Courtesy giganticcomputer.com

AMP's principal interests in the coastal ocean are understanding the physics of coastal and nearshore circulation, and the associated transport processes, including sediment transport. Even without linking the circulation physics to the biology and societal concerns, understanding the former offers many challenges. These include: strong coupling between flows on and off the continental shelf; forcing by tides, the atmosphere, and terrestial unput; and strong influences of often complicated bottom topography and coastline geometry. In addition, in the nearshore there are strong interactions between the interior flow physics and the physics of the surface and bottom boundary layers.

AMP's coastal processes interests complement those of MPO in the areas of continental shelf dynamics, bottom boundary layer dynamics, coastal marine meteorology, radar remote sensing of coastal flows and numerical modelling of coastal flows. AMP's coastal physics interests also complement those of MBF (influences of circulation phyics and water quality on ecosystems, corals and fisheries), MGG (groundwater and surface water hydrology, coastal erosion and coastal morphology), and MAF (assosicated legal, economic, and societal issues).

Other related links: American Geophysical Union (AGU), American Meteorological Society (AMS), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), The Oceanography Society (TOS), Shoaling Waves Experiment (showex)