2010-2012 Research Projects: The Coastal and Ocean Landscape
Project: Submarine Groundwater Discharge to Long Bay, S.C.: Preliminary Assessment of Land Use Impact, Geological Controls, and Nutrient Loads
Principal Investigator
Richard Viso, Coastal Carolina University
Project Number
R/CP-17
Research Description
Submarine groundwater discharge is volumetrically significant in solute exchange between land and sea. Assessment of geological controls on groundwater seep locations must be determined in order to ultimately determine the impact of land use variability on the Long Bay (Myrtle Beach coastal area) ecosystem.
In this continuing project, the research team will (1) map seasonal or annual variability in the electrical structure of shallow marine sediments, (2) integrate continuous resistivity profiles (CRP) with existing Chirp and Boomer sub-bottom profiles, (3) evaluate spatial and temporal variability of SGD rates via radon-222 measurements, (4) mine Horry County and NOAA CSC GIS products describing land use, (5) determine chemical speciation and SGD fluxes of nutrients, and (6) integrate all data sets with spatial 3-D visualization software.
Contact for Questions
Richard Viso (rviso@coastal.edu)
Project: Characterization of Wave and Current Energy Levels in Estuarine Waters for Ecological and Particulate Dispersion Studies: Case Study Winyah Bay, S.C.
Principal Investigator
George Voulgaris, University of South Carolina
Project Number
R/CP-18
Research Description
The role of surface gravity waves in large estuarine environments has not been studied extensively. This particular proposal is motivated by an idea suggesting the use of the intertidal zone for disposing dredged material from the maintenance of the navigational channel in Winyah Bay, SC. It has been suggested that such material be used in the creation of new marsh habitats. In addition to issues related to sediment quality, the location for the selection of a disposal site but also the creation of a marsh habitat needs to take into account the spatial distribution of the physical forcing such as to avoid remobilization of the disposed material or destruction of the restored site. In addition to this specific application/rationale, climatologies of physical forcing should be built and be publicly available for any regulatory organization and the general public in order to facilitate the undertaking of sound and environmentally sustained decisions. For example, the effect of boat wakes to a site should be compared to naturally occurring wave energy and any regulatory action should take this into consideration.
This proposal will examine the effect of wind-induced surface waves on sediment mobility in large estuarine environments. The study site is Winyah Bay, SC and the particular objectives are to (1) identify the spatial distribution of the annual, naturally occurring wind-induced wave forcing throughout the estuary, including the intertidal zone, and including the effect of tides, and (2) identify the spatial distribution of annual sediment resuspension mobility due to waves and currents and correlate with morphological or other ecological maps available.
Contact for Questions
George Voulgaris (gvoulgaris@geol.sc.edu)