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.