Nearshore current variations during the passage of cold fronts in NW Gulf of Mexico

Romero-Arteaga, Angélica; Alegría-Arzaburu, Amaia Ruíz de; Rivas, David; Juarez, Braulio

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2022.104697

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…The wave energy in the south (S) was of similar magnitude to that generated by the CF along the coast (Figure 11c,h); the maximum H s was nearly 4 m. Thus, the amount of wave energy induced by the CF was similar to that generated by Harvey, excluding the highest waves of H s > 4 m before landfall, which lasted for 14 h (Figure 11b,g). Synoptic-scale cold fronts occur more frequently than tropical cyclones in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico [35], and these fronts significantly modulate the nearshore circulation [20,36]. In this study, we found that both extreme events intensified alongshore currents and induced highly energetic waves.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 48%

“…Upcoast mass transport dominates for most of the year, but cold fronts can reverse surface currents towards Mexico [21]. Recent findings indicate that cold fronts induce strong northerly winds that generate downcoast alongshore flows during the winter, while moderate southeasterly winds generate dominant upcoast flows from spring to fall [20]. Generally, surface downcoast flows dominate in the Port Aransas area (northern study site) during the passage of cold fronts, but upcoast currents prevail along the South Padre area (southern study site), and a convergence zone can be identified between the two sites around Mustang Island [23,25].…”

Section: Field Site and Experimental Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most noticeable hurricane-induced changes typically correspond to overwash events and beachface and dune erosion [13][14][15]; as a consequence, the majority of field studies focus on describing post-hurricane impacts in terms of rainfall and morphological changes, e.g., [16][17][18], while fewer studies describe hurricane-induced hydrodynamics. In the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, synoptic-scale cold fronts occur more frequently than tropical cyclones, and these fronts significantly modulate the nearshore hydrodynamics [19,20]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cross-shore and longshore flows and wave fields generated by Hurricane Harvey before and after landfall and along the southern Texas coast based on field measurements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The purpose of this study was to investigate the cross-shore and longshore flows and wave fields generated by Hurricane Harvey before and after landfall and along the southern Texas coast based on field measurements. These results were compared with the hydrodynamics induced by an individual cold front of high-intensity and more frequent occurrence than a tropical storm (see [20] for further details), so as to better understand the differences in the magnitude and directionality of flows and waves between the two extreme events.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast

Romero-Arteaga

Alegría-Arzaburu

Esquivel–Trava

2022

JMSE

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Extreme weather events such as hurricanes are expected to become more severe with the human-induced increase in average global temperatures, exacerbating the risk of major damage. Efforts to predict these events typically require detailed hydrodynamic data that are difficult to collect in the field. Here, nearshore data collected with three ADCP moorings were used to describe the hydrodynamics induced by Hurricane Harvey along the southern Texas coast. Wave spectra and nearshore current variations were analyzed along the hurricane’s trajectory and compared to other offshore locations. The results indicate that winds intensified along the coast as Harvey approached the Port Aransas coastline. Southerly wind stresses of ~ −0.9 Nm−2 generated ~2 ms−1 depth-averaged flows towards the southwest close to landfall in the north, while flows of ~1 ms−1 and <1 ms−1 were measured in the center and the south of the study site, respectively. The hydrodynamics induced by the hurricane were compared to those induced by an intense synoptic-scale cold front (CF). Both events generated southward-directed alongshore wind stresses of similar magnitudes ( ~ − 0.4 Nm−2) that caused similar depth-averaged flows (0.5 to 0.7 ms−1) and wave energy conditions (Hs of ~ 4 m) in the south. Harvey caused extremely energetic conditions close to landfall in the north compared to the CF; depth-averaged flows and Hs of 2 ms−1 and 10 m were induced by Harvey, as opposed to 0.6 ms−1 and 4 m by the CF, respectively. While intense currents (>1 ms−1) and waves (Hs > 4 m) lasted for less than a day during Harvey, these persisted a few days longer during the CF. This study highlights the relevant role of synoptic-scale cold fronts in modulating the nearshore hydrodynamics, which occur more frequently than tropical cyclones in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 48%

Section: Field Site and Experimental Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast

Romero-Arteaga

Alegría-Arzaburu

Esquivel–Trava

2022

JMSE

Self Cite

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“…Samples collected during these cruises and their analysis in CIGoM laboratories enabled us to establish the spatial and temporal patterns of the physical and geochemical variables (Damien et al, 2018;Portela et al, 2018;Medina-Goḿez et al, 2020;Ochoa et al, 2021;Cervantes-Díaz et al, 2022;Hernández-Sánchez et al, 2022;Lee-Sańchez et al, 2022;Valencia-Gasti et al, 2022;Velásquez-Aristizábal et al, 2022;Romero-Arteaga et al, 2022a;Romero-Arteaga et al, 2022b) related to the carbon cycle (as well as hydrocarbons (García-Bautista et al, 2022) metals and pollutants concentrations in the water column (Arenas-Islas et al, 2019;Hernańdez-Candelario et al, 2019;Árcega-Cabrera et al, 2021;Dotor-Almazań et al, 2021a;Dótor-Almazán et al, 2021b;Dotor-Almazań et al, 2021b;Árcega-Cabrera F. et al, 2022;Dotor-Almazań et al, 2022a;Do ́tor-Almaza ́n et al, 2022b), sediments, as well as in tissues of selected organisms.…”

Section: Baseline Studies and Environmental Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Ocean monitoring, observation network and modelling of the Gulf of Mexico by CIGOM

et al. 2023

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The tragic accident of the Macondo platform operated by British Petroleum (BP) unleashed in 2010 one of the largest oil spills in history, lasting over three months, spilling nearly 500 million liters of oil in one of the most biodiverse ocean regions. This accident revealed the technological deficiencies for the control of a spill in deep waters of the hydrocarbon industry. Simultaneously it showed important gaps in knowledge to predict the propagation and fate of the large volumes of hydrocarbons at depth and on the surface ocean and, more importantly, on their impact on the great ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico. The necessity to understand and predict the transport, fate and ecosystem-level impacts of large oil spills in the southern Gulf of Mexico, a key region for oil exploration and extraction, led policymakers, scientists, and industry representatives from PEMEX (the Mexican oil company) to jointly launch an ocean observation project (2015-22) aimed to provide a multi-layered environmental baseline, develop a modern monitoring and computational modeling capacity and promote scientific understanding of the marine environment throughout the Mexican Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The initiative, led by the Research Consortium for the Gulf of Mexico (CIGoM), brought together more than 300 multidisciplinary researchers from more than a two dozen institutions in Mexico and abroad, including the Centre for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE) as the leading institution, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Centre for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV) in Mérida, the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC), and the Centre for Engineering and Industrial Development (CIDESI). Financial support was provided by the National Council for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Energy Hydrocarbon Fund.

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Dynamic impact of transiting weather systems on coastal currents in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Li,

Sheremet,

Huang

et al. 2024

Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography

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Nearshore current variations during the passage of cold fronts in NW Gulf of Mexico

Cited by 7 publications

References 32 publications

Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast

Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast

Ocean monitoring, observation network and modelling of the Gulf of Mexico by CIGOM

Dynamic impact of transiting weather systems on coastal currents in the northern Gulf of Mexico

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