Browsing Civil engineering by Subject "Physical oceanography"
Now showing items 1-14 of 14
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Breaking Waves on the Ocean Surface
In the open ocean, breaking waves are a critical mechanism for the transfer of energy, momentum, and mass between the atmosphere and the ocean. Despite much study, fundamental questions about wave breaking, such as what ... -
Estimating Energy Dissipation Due to Wave Breaking in the Surf Zone Using Infrared Imagery
Wave breaking is the largest forcing mechanism in the surf zone. Therefore, quantifying energy dissipation due to wave breaking is important for improving models that seek to predict nearshore circulation, wave-current ... -
Geometry, Kinematics & Energetics of Surf Zone Waves Near the Onset of Breaking Using Remote Sensing
The surf zone is the shallow nearshore region where waves break due to depth-limitations. These breaking waves drive important nearshore processes, including alongshore and cross-shore circulation, sediment transport, and ... -
Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport at the River-Ocean Interface: Analytical and Laboratory Investigations
This study presents a combination of numerical and analytical investigations of fluid and sediment transport mechanics through the river-ocean interface. This region is defined broadly as the region within the river that ... -
Hydrodynamics and sediment transport in the Duwamish River Estuary
Nearly two-thirds of the world’s major cities have been built around estuaries. As populations have grown, many estuaries have been modified, impacting their hydrodynamic regime. Urbanized estuaries, which are typically ... -
IMPACTS OF LATERAL SPREADING AND UPSTREAM CONDITIONS ON BUOYANT RIVER PLUMES: MIXING, STRUCTURE AND PLUME DYNAMICS
(2013-04-17)This dissertation investigates the nature of physical processes associated with buoyant river plumes under the impacts of rotation, lateral spreading and upstream conditions. Two sets of laboratory experiments, one focused ... -
Semidiurnal Internal Tides in the Santa Maria Basin
The Santa Maria Basin (SMB) extends from Point Arguello to Point Buchon along the central California coast. This region is subjected to strong wind, wave, and internal tidal forcing leading to complex three-dimensional ... -
Surface waves in the Beaufort Sea
The rapidly changing Arctic sea ice cover affects surface wave growth across all scales. The effect of sea ice extent on wave growth is studied using in situ measurements of waves observed from freely-drifting buoys during ... -
The Effects of Ice and Currents on Wave-breaking Turbulence at the Ocean Surface
Breaking waves are critical to the exchange of momentum, gasses, and heat between the atmosphere and ocean. In open water, these exchanges control the growth and decay of waves, and have implications for global heat and ... -
The fate and dynamics of a river plume in the surf zone
Small river outflows that directly enter the surf zone,where waves break near the shore, are a common feature of the world's coastlines. Rivers transport sediment, nutrients, and pollutants from the terrestrial to the ... -
The role of waves in the autumn Arctic Ocean
Recent decline of sea ice coverage in the Arctic Ocean has resulted in a substantial seasonal wave climate. Waves generated in the open water are attenuated far into the sea ice, but are a defining feature of the marginal ... -
Tidal flat thermodynamics
(2013-11-14)Intertidal flats are important coastal margin environments linking the terrestrial and marine ecosystems. This dissertation studies the thermodynamic processes of tidal flats over tidal, fortnightly, and seasonal timescales ... -
Wave Breaking Dissipation in a Fetch-Limited Sea
(2013-04-17)Coupled remote sensing and <italic>in situ</italic> measurements of strongly-forced, fetch-limited waves are applied to assess the role of breaking in an evolving wavefield. Wave growth follows accepted fetch-limited ... -
Wind and wave-influenced mixing and dynamics in the Fraser River plume
Rivers play a large role in the transport of matter between ecosystems by connecting interior regions with lakes and oceans. River outflows, or plumes, constitute a significant delivery mechanism of pollutants, sediment, ...