Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Simple Parameterized Models For Predicting Mobility, Burial And Re-Exposure Of Underwater Munitions. Serdp Final Report Mr-2224, Carl Friedrichs, Sarah E. Rennie, Alan Brandt

Reports

A compilation of 761 observations of scour-induced burial and 406 observations of initiation of motion of UXO-like objects are presented. The main factors that increase the scour-induced burial-to-diameter ratio (B/D) under (i) currents and (ii) waves are the (i) Shields parameter (S) and (ii) Keulegan-Carpenter number. For cylinders under waves, B/D additionally increases as the current component parallel to wave orbitals decreases, as S increases, and as the angle between wave orbitals and a cylinder’s axis increases. Cylinders bury most, then spheres, and conical frustums bury least. Simple models dependent on these variables explain 85% of observed variance in B/D. …

Anthropocene Sea Level Change: A History Of Recent Trends Observed In The U.S. East, Gulf, And West Coast Regions, John D. Boon, Molly Mitchell, Jon Derek Loftis, David L. Malmquist

Reports

Relative sea level (RSL) observations since 1969 at U.S. tide stations exhibit trends in RSL rise rate and acceleration that vary in response to both global and regional processes. Trend histories display a high degree of similarity between locations in coastal regions that are experiencing similar processes. With the exception of the U.S. Northeast Coast and Alaska,every other coastal location in the continental U.S. has experienced an upturn in RSL rise rate since 2013-2014 despite wide differences in the magnitude and trending direction of RSL acceleration. High RSL acceleration along the U.S. Northeast Coast has trended downward since 2011 while …

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 …

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 …

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, 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 …

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).

Resistivity, Magnetic Susceptibility And Sediment Characterization Of The York River Estuary In Support Of The Empirical Investigation Of The Factors Influencing Marine Applications Of Emi (Year 2 Of Serdp Project Mr-2409) Final Report., Grace M. Massey, Carl T. Friedrichs

Reports

Vessel and personnel support was provided for a series of cruises to three salinity regimes along the York River. Data and samples from a standard suite of hydrographic and sedimentological measurements, as well as electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility, were collected and analyzed for each location. These cruises provided opportunities to obtain information that is being used to quantify the unique marine contributions to the early time TEM noise, including conductivity variations in the water and variability in bottom sediment properties in real marine environments, for use in the parallel modeling and electromagnetic-induction sensor work ongoing in the same project. …

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 …

Shoreline Evolution: City Of Chesapeake, Virginia Elizabeth River Shorelines Data Summary Report, Donna A. Milligan, Christine Wilcox, C. Scott Hardaway Jr.

Reports

City of Chesapeake is situated between the Cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth along several branches of the Elizabeth River (Figure 1). Because the City's shoreline is continually changing, determining where the shoreline was in the past, how far and how fast it is moving, and what factors drive shoreline change will help define where the shoreline will be going in the future. These rates and patterns of shore change along Chesapeake Bay’s estuarine shores will differ through time as winds, waves, tides and currents shape and modify coastlines by eroding, transporting and depositing sediments.

The purpose of this report is …

Vertical One-Dimensional (1-D) Simulations Of Horizontal Velocity Profiles, Jerome P.Y. Maa, Jian Shen, Xiaoteng Shen, Shao Yuyang

Reports

Details of a vertical 1-D hydrodynamic model to simulate the horizontal velocity profiles for tidal estuarial flows with possible stratifications caused by salinity or Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) are presented. The standard 2nd order k-ε model was implemented to address the turbulent flow with possible stratification effects. Simulation results are verified with two field measurements for steady nonstratified flows and a field measurement for tidal estuary non-stratified flow. The stratification effect of salinity and suspended sediment concentration are also checked with the following descriptions: “Salinity stratification will change the typical logarithmic velocity profile to a linear profile for most of …

Assessment Of Hypoxia And Its Relationship With Nutrient Loads And Wind, And Implication To The Chesapeake Bay Management, Ping Wang, Harry V. Wang, Lewis Linker

Reports

Statistics are applied to analyze the correlations of summer hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay with watershed input and wind conditions based on nearly three decades of monitoring data. The Pearson correlation coefficients indicate that the averaged summer hypoxia has strong positive correlation with watershed nutrient load and discharge, and moderate negative correlation with summer average wind speed. Nutrient inputs and the subsequent decay of organic matter are the primary factor that controls the oxygen demand causing summer hypoxia, while episodic wind can partly erode stratification and hypoxia. The interannual variation of hypoxia is mainly controlled by watershed input, but wind …

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 …

Occohannock Creek Shoreline Erosion Assessment And Living Shoreline Options Report, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Kevin O'Brien, Christine Wilcox, Shoreline Studies Program, Marcia Berman, Sharon Killeen, Tami Rudnicky, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Reports

This study provides information to Occohannock Creek property owners to help them assess their shoreline stability and their options if erosion is a problem. In the past, shoreline erosion control options were typically limited to rip-rap, groins, or bulkheads. These hard structures often destroyed marsh and other habitat and may not have provided the protection desired. Other methods of erosion control now exist that have been used in a variety of conditions and evaluated for their durability and performance. The alternative techniques incorporate vegetation and are referred to as Living Shoreline designs. Conditions on Occohannock Creek make it a very …

Ernesto: Anatomy Of A Storm Tide, John D. Boon

Reports

Virginia residents were warned that tropical depression ERNESTO would bring a lot of rain and consequently some flooding from runoff. Although briefly a hurricane (sustained winds greater than 74 mph) near the island of Haiti, ERNESTO spent most of its life as a tropical storm (windsgreater than 58 mph) before crossing into Virginia on September 1, 2006, as a tropical depression(winds greater than 39 mph). Little did we know that a mere tropical depression would be packing high winds and a walloping storm tide along with the rain.

The Three Faces Of Isabel: Storm Surge, Storm Tide, And Sea Level Rise, John D. Boon

Reports

To the thousands of Tidewater residents who encountered this storm on September 18, 2003, Hurricane Isabelshowed many faces, none of them a welcome sight. I would like to dwell for a moment on three that I saw –three different physical traits that tell us not only what we‟ve just experienced from Isabel, in terms of high winds and high water, but what we might expect from other storms like her in the future. Two of these traits –storm surgeand storm tide-are governed by probability. Like rolls of the dice, they have odds but no certainty about them. The third -sea …

Three Dimensional Hydrodynamic Modeling Study, Craney Island Eastward Expansion, Lower James River And Elizabeth River, Virginia, Harry V. Wang, S. C. Kim, John D. Boon, A. Y. Kuo, G. M. Sisson, J. M. Brubaker, J. P-Y. Maa

Reports

The Craney Island Eastward Expansion Hydrodynamic Model Study was conducted in three phases: 1) model calibration and verification for the Elizabeth River, 2) model testing of four Craney Island expansion options using single variable runs (using a single variable, tidal range, for model input), 3) model testing of two expansion options using historical runs (using multiple variables in real time for model input). The expansion option designs were evaluated for both global and local hydrodynamic change through simulation comparisons with the Base Case condition.

Monitoring Of Suspended Sediment Plume Formed During Oyster Shell Dredging In The James River, Virginia, August 2001, Carl T. Friedrichs, Grace M. Massey

Reports

No abstract provided.

Application Of A Watershed Model (Basinsim) And A Tidal Prism Water Quality Model (Tpwqm) To The Great Wicomico River, Virginia, Sung-Chan Kim, Richard Wetzel, Leonard Hass, Albert Kuo

Reports

The objective of this project is to develop a modeling package to assist in water quality management of small coastal basins (SCBs) of the Chesapeake Bay system. Efforts by the Commonwealth to address water quality and its effect on living resources in tidal, estuarine systems has focused primarily on the Chesapeake Bay and the major tributaries of the lower bay (James, York and Rappahannock Rivers), as evidenced by the extensive monitoring and modeling efforts directed to them. This has been at the expense of smaller coastal basins such as the Great Wicomico River and the numerous tidal creek systems of …

Report On Spectral Wave Modeling : Extended Study Of The Effects Of Sand Mining On The Wave Regime At Sandbridge, Virginia - Comparison Of Results Using A Phase-Revolving And A Phase-Averaging Spectral Wave Model (Ref/Dif S And Swan), John D. Boon, Sung Chan Kim

Reports

In an earlier report (Boon, 1998), findings were presented from a wave modeling study whose purpose was to investigate the effects of sand mining on the nearshore wave regime at Sandbridge, Virginia (Fig . 1). Using a phase-resolving spectral wave model, REF/DIF S (Kirby and Ozkan, 1992), a representative set of hypothetical storm waves was propagated across a 20 km section of the inner shelf from approximately the 20 m depth contour offshore to the 11 m depth contour inshore . Subsequent simulations were then made that tested local effects of shoaling and refraction on wave heights within a fine-scale …

Three Dimensional Hydrodynamic-Sedimentation Modeling Study : Hampton Roads Crossing, Lower James River, Virginia, John D. Boon, Harry V. Wang, S. C. Kim, Albert Y. Kuo, G. M. Sisson

Reports

A three-dimensional hydrodynamic-sedimentation computer model, HYSED-3D, was used to evaluate the effect of bridge-tunnel infrastructure for a proposed highway crossing of Hampton Roads on the physical characteristics (tides, currents, circulation, salinity, and sedimentation) of the James River estuary in Virginia. Model-represented infrastructure included tunnel islands and bridges on pilings connecting the islands to interstate highways in Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, and Portsmouth, Virginia. Combinations of these elements occur in each of three proposed crossing routes designated Alternative 1 (Hampton-Norfolk), Alternative 2 (Hampton-Norfolk, Norfolk-Portsmouth), and Alternative 9 (Newport News-Portsmouth-Norfolk). Simulation comparisons were made between the existing waterways and infrastructure in Hampton …

Shoreline Management Plan With Habitat Enhancement For Town Of Saxis, Virginia, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, George R. Thomas, Rebecca C.H. Brindley, Lyle M. Varnell, Walter L. Priest, Sharon Dewing

Reports

The goal of the present study is to identify the best course of action to manage shoreline erosion in Saxis and to provide a detailed Shoreline Management Plan with Habitat Enhancement which can be presented to potential State and Federal funding agencies. While the Plan itself will not resolve the erosion conditions in Saxis, it will allow the Town to market its need and the method of resolution of this need, to agencies and leaders with the resources to implement the Plan’s suggested actions. The shoreline management plan will provide the necessary level of shoreline stabilization while minimizing adverse impacts …

Laser In-Situ Scattering And Transmissometer (Lisst) Observations In Support Of The Sensor Insertion System Duck, Nc October, 1997, Grace M. Massey, Carl T. Friedrichs

Reports

The objective of this portion of the study was to collect LIS ST time series at times corresponding to collection of pumped samples of suspended sediment across the width of the surf zone during a major field experiment called SandyDuck '97. The pumped samples were analyzed for total percent sand (>60 micron), total percent mud (0.8 - 60 micron), organic content and sand size distribution. The LISST measures the particle size distribution from 5-500 microns. The purpose was to provide a high quality data set of pumped samples with which to later test the sensitivity of indirect measurements of …

Data Report: Pump Sampling And Sediment Analysis In Support Of The Sensor Insertion System Duck, N.C. April And October, 1997, Grace M. Massey, Carl T. Friiedrichs, Amo De Kruif, Daan C. Rijks

Reports

The objectives of this study were to (i) construct a pumping system, (ii) operate the system and collect samples of suspended sediment across the width of the surf zone during two major field experiments planned for the SIS in 1997, and (iii) analyze the resulting samples for sand concentration, sand size distribution, total percent sand, total percent mud, and organic content. The purpose was to provide a high quality data set of pump samples with which to later test the sensitivity of indirect measurements of suspended sand concentration to the presence of suspended mud. The response of OBSs is known …

Sediments And Shallow Stratigraphy Of A Portion Of The Continental Shelf Of Southeastern Virginia, Carl H. Hobbs Iii

Reports

A network of high-resolution, seismic-reflection profiles and grab samples of the surficial sediments of the inner continental shelf of southeastern Virginia demonstrate that the Quaternary geology of the region is more complex than indicated by earlier studies. The spatial variability of the surficial sediments depicts active processes, such as outflow from Chesapeake Bay, as well as the underlying geology in outcrops of finer grained sediments near False Cape.

The complexity of the Quaternary geology results from large and small scale fluctuations in sea level. Individual, relatively large-scale, seismostratigraphic units are separated by erosional surfaces formed during the major changes in …

Geological And Geophysical Character Of The East China And Yellow Seas, John D. Milliman, Nicole D. Scott

Reports

The East China and Yellow seas represent one of the broadest shallow seas in the global ocean, with water depths generally less than 80 m and stretching nearly 750 km from the Shandong Peninsula to the Okinawa Trough (Fig. 1). This area is also unique in terms of the vast amount of sediment it receives from the Huanghe (Yellow River; presently discharging in the adjacent Gulf of Bohai) and the Changjigang (Yangtze River, which flows into the East China Sea). Together, this region receives about ten percent of the river-derived sediment reaching the ocean, and as such, the region has …

Organic Carbon Abundance, Distribution And Metabolism At The Oyster, Virginia Study Site, Elizabeth Canuel, Iris C. Anderson, Craig Tobias

Reports

This report describes a pilot study conducted at the DOE Subsurface Science Program's study site in Oyster, VA. The objective of this study was to examine whether 2 organic matter associated with the solid and dissolved phases was labile enough to support microbial activity. Organic matter availability was assessed in two ways: (1) by quantifying the amount and distribution of total organic carbon (TOC) associated with the solid phase and (2) laboratory experiments to examine the utilization of dissolved organic matter by measuring total microbial respiration. In addition to assessing total respiration, we specifically addressed organic matter respiration via denitrification. …

Public Beach Assessment Report Gloucester Point Public Beach, Gloucester County, Virginia, Donna A. Milligan, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., George R. Thomas

Reports

Gloucester Point Public Beach is located at the southern end of Gloucester County, Virginia on the York River. It is a southeastward facing shoreline about 960 ft long and it is part of a larger stretch of moderately low shore between Sarah Creek and the George P. Coleman Bridge. While no shoreline improvement projects have taken place at the public beach, shore protection projects updrift and including the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) affect it. In 1983, erosion along the shoreline at VIMS just updrift of the public beach led to the installation of a riprap revetment in front …

Current Measurements In The York River Near The Coleman Bridge, John M. Brubaker

Reports

In support of Tidewater Construction Corporation's project to widen the George P. Coleman Bridge, current measurements were conducted in the York River between Gloucester Point and Yorktown, Virginia, along both sides of the bridge. The objective was to sample the currents at approximately 10 feet below the water surface during maximum ebb and flood flow, at enough locations to resolve cross-river variations in the flow field. This objective was well satisfied with multiple surveys conducted during ebb, slack, and flood phases of the tidal flow, each survey providing current data at multiple depths. Significant cross-river variability was documented.