Oceanic Fronts in Coastal Processes
Oceanic Fronts in Coastal Processes

Author: M.J. Bowman

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 3642669875

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On May 25, 1977 a small invited group of coastal oceanographers assembled at the Marine Sciences Research Center at Stony Brook for three days of intensive discussions in a cloistered setting. The purpose of this workshop was to "assess the state of the art, to ascertain priorities for future research and to formulate the theoretical, instrumen tal, experimental and logistical tools needed to attain those goals in the study of coastal oceanic* fronts. " Although the existence of oceanic fronts has been known for a long time, ocean frontology is experiencing rapid acceleration in the emergence of new concepts and methodology. The science is developing from the descriptive phase and many unsolved problems lie in the understanding and quantification of frontal dynamics. In turn, challenging questions need to be addressed on the controlling influence of the physics of fronts on the chemistry, biology, acoustics, and suspended particulate aggregations in these zones. Coastal fronts are very efficient at concentrating buoyant and suspended particulate matter inclUding toxic wastes; heavy metal concentrations in polluted coastal frontal zones have been measured to be as high as one to ten thousand times background. These zones are also regions of high biological productivity, and consequently frequented by both commercial and sports fishermen.

Circulation in the Coastal Ocean
Circulation in the Coastal Ocean

Author: G.T. Csanady

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-14

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 9401710414

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For some time there has existed an extensive theoretical literature relating to tides on continental shelves and also to the behavior of estuaries. Much less attention was traditionally paid to the dynamics of longer term, larger scale motions (those which are usually described as circulation') over continental shelves or in enclosed shallow seas such as the North American Great Lakes. This is no longer the case: spurred on by other disciplines, notably biological oceanography, and by public concern with the environment, the physical science of the coastal ocean has made giant strides during the last two decades or so. Today, it is probably fair to say that coastal ocean physics has come of age as a deduc tive quantitative science. A well developed body of theoretical models exist, based on the equations of fluid motion, which have been related to observed currents, sea level variations, water properties, etc. Quantitative parameters required in using the models to predict e.g. the effects of wind or of freshwater influx on coastal currents can be estimated within reasonable bounds of error. While much remains to be learned, and many exciting discoveries presumably await us in the future, the time seems appropriate to summarize those aspects of coastal ocean dynamics relevant to 'circulation' or long term motion.