Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Incorporating Sea Level Change Scenarios Into Norfolk Harbor Channels Deepening And Elizabeth River Southern Branch Navigation Improvements Study : Final Report On The “Hydrodynamic Modeling”, Zhuo Liu, Harry V. Wang, Yinglong J. Zhang, Fei Ye

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) team has applied a 3D unstructured-grid hydrodynamic model SCHISM in the study of the impact of channel dredging on hydrodynamics in the lower Chesapeake Bay project area. This report is a companion report to that of Zhang et al. (2017; doi:10.21220/V5MF0F) and focuses on the impact of channel dredging specifically under the projected future sea-level change (SLC) of 1 meter rise by 2100. This is an average of the high end of semi-empirical, global sea-level rise (SLR) projections adopted by the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, …

Assessment Of Hydrodynamic And Water Quality Impacts For Channel Deepening In The Thimble Shoals, Norfolk Harbor, And Elizabeth River Channels : Final Report On The “Hydrodynamic Modeling”, Yinglong J. Zhang, Harry V. Wang, Fei Ye, Zhengui Wang

Reports

For over twenty years, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Virginia Port Authority (VPA), representing the Commonwealth Secretary of Transportation, have collaborated on projects key to port development that also preserve the environmental integrity of both Hampton Roads and the Elizabeth River. The USACE and the VPA are working to investigate channel deepening in this region to provide access to a new generation of cargo ships (e.g., Panamax-class). The main goal of this project is to investigate the feasibility for Norfolk Harbor channel deepening in the lower James and Elizabeth Rivers and assess the environmental impact …

Assessment Of Hydrodynamic And Water Quality Impacts For Channel Deepening In The Thimble Shoals, Norfolk Harbor, And Elizabeth River Channels, Jian Shen, Rico Wang, Mac Sisson

Reports

To investigate the feasibility for Norfolk Harbor channel deepening in the lower James and Elizabeth Rivers, one of the key services of the project is to evaluate the impacts of deepening the Atlantic Ocean Channel to 55 feet (from 50 feet), Thimble Shoal Channel to 55 feet (from 50 feet), Elizabeth River (north of Lambert Point) to 50 feet (from 45 feet) and the Southern Branch (north of the I64 Bridge) to 50/45/45 feet. In general, the shipping channel dredging will result in enhancement of estuarine gravitational circulation, accentuate the tidal and wind wave influence upstream, and affect the ecosystem …

Incorporation Of Sea Level Change Scenarios Into Norfolk Harbor And Channels Deepening Study & Elizabeth River Southern Branch Navigation Improvements Study : Final Report, Rico Wang, Jian Shen, Mac Sisson

Reports

Previously the VIMS modeling group has studied the impact of channel deepening on the water quality in lower James River, including Norfolk Harbor and Elizabeth River. A study of the response of the water quality to future Sea Level Change (SLC) is required by present USACE guidance (ER 1100-2-8162 and ETL 1100-2-1). ETL 1100-2-1 recommends analyzing the effects of SLC on the projects at three future time periods of post-construction, including 20 years, 50 years, and 100 years. The future change of sea level is mainly caused by the sea level rise (SLR) in this region. This document provides results …

Hampton Roads Crossing Study Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: Evaluation Of Potential Impact On Surface Water Elevation, Flow, Salinity, And Bottom Shear Stress, Yinglong J. Zhang, Harry V. Wang, Zhuo Liu, Mac Sisson, Jian Shen

Reports

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential impacts of the proposed alternatives for the highway crossing in Hampton Roads on physical characteristics of surface water elevation, flow, salinity, and bottom shear stress. The analysis is part of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Federal Highway Administration, and other stakeholders’ Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for Hampton Roads Crossing Study (HRCS).

Evaluation Of The Potential Impact On Flow And Sediment Transport From Proposed James River Crossings, Yinglong J. Zhang, Harry V. Wang, Zhuo Liu, Mac Sisson, Jian Shen

Reports

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential impact on flow and sedimentation potential due to the proposed new crossings on the lower James River by VDOT. This project was built upon previous effort in the same area (Boon et al. 1999); the latter used VIMS’ 3D Hydrodynamic-Sedimentation Model (HYSED) to study the impact of the bridge-tunnel infrastructure on the physical characteristics (including tides, currents, circulation, salinity and sedimentation) under the existing and alternative scenarios. Due to various limitations at that time, smaller bridge pilings were not resolved but instead parameterized. In this update study, we used an …

Chesapeake Bay Land Subsidence And Sea Level Change : An Evaluation Of Past And Present Trends And Future Outlook, John D. Boon, John M. Brubaker, David R. Forrest

Reports

Ten Chesapeake Bay water level stations presently have a combined total of 647 years of water level measurements with record lengths varying between 35 years (1975-2009) at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, VA, and 107 years (1903-2009) at Baltimore, MD. All ten stations, with the exception of Gloucester Point, VA, are active stations in the National Water Level Observation Network of water level stations maintained by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services.

New technologies such as sea surface range measurements from earth-orbiting satellites now provide a global assessment of absolute sea level …

Mathews County Shoreline Management Plan, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Carl H. Hobbs Iii, Christine A. Wilcox, Kevin P. O'Brien, Lyle M. Varnell, Shoreline Studies Program

Reports

This report has several sections. General coastal zone management considerations and existing conditions along the Mathews County shoreline are discussed. The overall Mathews shoreline was divided into three reaches: Reach 1, Piankatank River, Hills Bay, and Queens Creek; Reach 2, New Point Comfort to Gwynn’s Island including Milford Haven; and Reach 3, Mobjack Bay, East River, and North River. Each reach is discussed in terms of specific shore conditions as well as design considerations and shore stabilization recommendations. Reach 2 is slightly different from the other reaches in that it includes the high energy Chesapeake Bay shoreline. For this section …

A Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic-Eutrophication Model (Hem-3d) : Description Of Water Quality And Sediment Process Submodels, Kyeong Park, Albert Y. Kuo, Jian Shen, John M. Hamrick

Reports

Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has been developing a general purpose three-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport model, Environmental Fluid Dynamics Computer Code (EFDC; Hamrick 1992). The real-time model simulates density and topographically-induced circulation as well as tidal and wind-driven flows, and spatial and temporal distributions of salinity, temperature and sediment concentration. The model also is capable of handling the wetting and drying of shallow area, hydraulic control structures, vegetation resistance for wetlands and Lagrangian particle tracking. The information of physical transport processes, both advective and diffusive, simulated by the hydrodynamic model can be used to account for the transport …

Hypoxia In The Lower Rappahannock Estuary, Albert Y. Kuo, Mohamed Z. Moustafa

Reports

There are several objectives to this study. The immediate objective is to collect a comprehensive and consistent set of field observations to better describe the hypoxic condition in the Rappahannock River. Other objectives can be classified as short and long term goals.

Long term: (1) Identify and quantify the processes contributing to the dissolved oxygen budget in deep waters, and explain the variabilities among the three Virginia major tributary estuaries. (2) Provide information for resource management so that the James River can be protected from hypoxic problems and, perhaps, the problems in the York and Rappahannock Rivers can be alleviated. …

Response To Freshwater Inflow In The Rappahannock Estuary, Virginia : Operation Hiflo '78, Maynard M. Nichols, L. Eugene Cronin, William B. Cronin, M. Grant Gross, Bruce W. Nelson, Jack W. Pierce, Robert E. Ulanowicz

Reports

More sediment, nutrients and pollutants are discharged into an estuary during a few days of flood inflow than during many months or years of average inflow (Meade, 1972; Schubel, 1977), but few observations document the sedimentary response of an estuary to high freshwater inflow. Such inflows are usually unexpected and estuarine water charact~ristics change too rapidly to permit systematic measurements. Moreover, the expenditure of effort and number of sampling vessels required on short notice is beyond the resources of a single research group or institute. Yet, freshwater inflow observations are a key to improving water quality; especially to ameliorate the …

Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Volume Ii-A. Chemical And Biological Benchmark Studies, E. M. Burrreson, D. F. Boesch, B. L. Laird

Reports

The Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies is comprised of three volumes.

• Volume I. Executive Summary.
• Volume IIA, IIB, IIC and IID. Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies.
• Volume III. Geologic Studies.

This is the first of four sections of the Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies

• CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION by E. M. Burreson
• CHAPTER 2. BENCHMARK STUDIES by Donald F. Boesch, William D. Athearn, and John G. Brokaw
• CHAPTER 3. PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY AND CLIMATOLOGY by C. S. Welch and E. P. Ruzecki
• CHAPTER 4. MIDDLE ATLANTIC BIGHT ZOOPLANKTON: SECOND YEAR RESULTS AND A DISCUSSION OF …

Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Volume Ii-B: Chemical And Biological Benchmark Studies, E. M. Burreson, D. F. Boesch, B. L. Laird

Reports

The Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies is comprised of three volumes.

• Volume I. Executive Summary.
• Volume IIA, IIB, IIC and IID. Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies.
• Volume III. Geologic Studies.

This is the second of four sections of the Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies

• CHAPTER 5. BOTTOM SEDIMENTS AND SEDIMENTARY FRAMEWORK by Donald .F. Boesch
• CHAPTER 6. BENTHIC ECOLOGICAL STUDIES: MACROBENTHOS by Donald F. Boesch
• CHAPTER 7. BENTHIC ECOLOGICAL STUDIES: MEIOBENTHOS by D.J. Hartzband and Donald F. Boesch
• CHAPTER 8. BENTHIC ECOLOGICAL STUDIES: FORAMINIFERA by Robert L. Ellison

Chapters of this report contain …

Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Volume Ii-C: Chemical And Biological Benchmark Studies, E. M. Burreson, D. F. Boesch, B. L. Laird

Reports

The Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies is comprised of three volumes.

• Volume I. Executive Summary.
• Volume IIA, IIB, IIC and IID. Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies.
• Volume III. Geologic Studies.

This is the third of four sections of the Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies

• CHAPTER 9. COMMUNITY STRUCTURE ANALYSIS AND FOOD HABITS OF FISHES by George R. Sedberry, Eric J. Foell and John A. Musick
• CHAPTER 10. HISTORICAL COMMUNITY STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF FINFISHES by John A. Musick, James A. Colvocoresses and Eric J. Foell
• CHAPTER 11. BACTERIOLOGY by Howard J. Kator

Chapters of …

Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Volume Ii-D: Chemical And Biological Benchmark Studies, E. M. Burreson, D. F. Boesch, B. L. Laird

Reports

The Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies is comprised of three volumes.

• Volume I. Executive Summary.
• Volume IIA, IIB, IIC and IID. Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies.
• Volume III. Geologic Studies.

This is the fourth of four sections of the Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies

• CHAPTER 12. HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDIES by Craig Ruddell
• CHAPTER 13. TRACE METALS by Richard L. Harris, Raj Jolly, George Grant, and Robert Huggett
• CHAPTER 14. HYDROCARBONS by C. L. Smith, C. W. Su, W. G. Macintyre, R. H. Bieri, and M. Kent Cueman
• CHAPTER 15. VIMS-BLM SECOND ORDER WAVE CLIMATE …

Beach Erosion And Accretion At Virginia Beach, Victor Goldsmith, Susan C. Strum, George R. Thomas, Coastal Engineering Research Center (U. S. )

Reports

This report is published to provide coastal engineers with a description of beach erosion and accretion at Virginia Beach, Virginia, including the effect of continuing beach replenishment, and the apparent unimportance of land use in determining erosion. This report also provides bench-mark data on coastal processes at the shore north of the CERC Field Research Facility at Duck, North Carolina. The work was carried out under the beach evaluation program of the U.S. Army Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC).

Physical And Geological Studies Of The Proposed Bridge-Tunnel Crossing Of Hampton Roads Near Craney Island, C. S. Fang, B. J. Neilson, A. Y. Kuo, R. J. Byrne, C. S. Welch

Reports

Part 1: James River Hydraulic Model Tests

Part 2: Impact on Shoreline, Hampton Flats and Newport News Point Area

Part 3: Drogue Study, Hampton Flats and Newport News Point

Part 4: Hydraulic Model Test Results

A Study Of The Effects Of Dredging And Dredge Spoil Disposal On The Marine Environment: Project Report., Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

The Rappahannock Shoal and spoil disposal area investigated encompasses an area of approximately 180 square miles. The initial sampling program (1961) consisted of the establishment of a series of transects across the survey area. One hundred sampling stations were located along the established transects.

Inasmuch as the texture of the bottom sediments varied distinctly from place to place within the mid-bay region, the initial objective was to delineate the sediment distribution. Ninety-eight core samples were taken from the area with a modified Phleger coring device and analyzed in detail for textural characteristics. Representative stations were chosen and core samples were …