In-situ and Land-Based Remote Sensing of River Inlets and Their Interaction with Coastal Waters

Abstract

Principal research goals are to develop tools for characterizing the physics of river flow through a coastal inlet, surface wave processes, and the fate of the plume within the coastal ocean. OBJECTIVES In-situ and land-based remote sensing of the New River inlet and its interaction with coastal waters objectives include: • Identify processes controlling the flow of the river through and within the inlet. • Characterize wave breaking within the inlet as a result of shoaling and wave-current interactions. • Understand the fate, dilution, and transport of the river plume as it discharges into the ocean. • Learn how to use and exploit X-Band radar / unmanned sensors in the river inlet environment. APPROACH An array of instrumentation was deployed on land, on the sea surface and below the sea surface to characterize the air-sea-land interactions that control the river inlet dynamics. Specifically: • An X-band marine radar system measured backscatter (HH polarization) at a 3m range resolution out to approximately 5km, at 42RPM in 1/12 th degree steps (Figure 1).