Atmospheric Cold Front-Generated Waves in the Coastal Louisiana

Abstract

Atmospheric cold front-generated waves play an important role in the air–sea interaction and coastal water and sediment transports. In-situ observations from two offshore stations are used to investigate variations of directional waves in the coastal Louisiana. Hourly time series of significant wave height and peak wave period are examined for data from 2004, except for the summer time between May and August, when cold fronts are infrequent and weak. The intra-seasonal scale variations in the wavefield are significantly affected by the atmospheric cold frontal events. The wave fields and directional wave spectra induced by four selected cold front passages over the coastal Louisiana are discussed. It is found that significant wave height generated by cold fronts coming from the west change more quickly than that by other passing cold fronts. The peak wave direction rotates clockwise during the cold front events. The variability of the directional wave spectrum shows that the largest spectral density is distributed at low frequency in the postfrontal phase associated with migrating cyclones (MC storms) and arctic surges (AS storms).

Lagrangian Characterization of Surface Transport From the Equatorial Atlantic to the Caribbean Sea Using Climatological Lagrangian Coherent Structures and Self‐Organizing Maps

“…The arrival of anticyclonic cold fronts typically occurs between September and April and can extend as far south as 10°N latitude (DiMego et al, 1976). These cold fronts are associated with a significant increase in wind intensity, cloud cover, atmospheric pressure, wave height, and a decrease in temperature (Appendini et al, 2014(Appendini et al, , 2018Cao et al, 2020;Ortiz-Royero et al, 2013). Considering the strong northerly wind component during cold fronts, they could influence the particle transport by displacing them toward the south, impending them to reach areas such as the Yucatan Peninsula.…”

Storm Impacts on Mineral Mass Accumulation Rates of Coastal Marshes

“…The pre‐frontal phase characterized by southerly winds (Figure S6c in Supporting Information S1) anticipates the frontal passage where the wind direction quickly shifts to northerly winds in the post‐frontal phase (Figure S6c in Supporting Information S1) (Moeller et al., 1993). Previous research has shown that winter storms in coastal Louisiana and in particular cold fronts control the wave fields (Cao et al., 2020; Guo et al., 2020), water fluxes (Feng & Li, 2010), and sediment exchange (Dingler & Reiss, 1990; Perez et al., 2000; Roberts et al., 1989). Reed (1989), using sediment deposition measurements in Terrebonne Bay, suggested that cold fronts represent an ideal setting for sediment deposition.…”

Assessing Chlorophyll a Spatiotemporal Patterns Combining In Situ Continuous Fluorometry Measurements and Landsat 8/OLI Data across the Barataria Basin (Louisiana, USA)

“…The daily tidal amplitude average is 0.32 m at the coast and 0.03 m at the upper basin; this tidal range is significantly influenced by wind during the winter season when cold fronts occur at 3-7 days duration while tidal oscillation is the main driver during the summer season [49,54,55]. Cold fronts in coastal Louisiana are characterized by a strong wind shear, an abrupt drop in atmospheric pressure, and a fast reduction in air temperature [56]. Although cold fronts are not as severe as tropical cyclones, wind direction/velocity control water levels and circulation, sediment transport (e.g., fluxes, wetland accretion/erosion, sediment resuspension), and the exchange of organic matter and nutrients between the BB complex and the GOM [38,56].…”

“…Cold fronts in coastal Louisiana are characterized by a strong wind shear, an abrupt drop in atmospheric pressure, and a fast reduction in air temperature [56]. Although cold fronts are not as severe as tropical cyclones, wind direction/velocity control water levels and circulation, sediment transport (e.g., fluxes, wetland accretion/erosion, sediment resuspension), and the exchange of organic matter and nutrients between the BB complex and the GOM [38,56]. Because of the BB complex location in sub- The main freshwater inputs into the basin are rainwater, surface runoff from surrounding areas, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion (DPFD) located in the upper basin with a maximum operational discharge of 250 m 3 s −1 [53,54].…”