Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Recent History And Response Characteristics Of Wachapreague Inlet, Virginia : Final Report, Robert J. Byrne, Joseph T. Dealteris, Jerome P. Sovich

Reports

Wachapreague Inlet, a large downdrift offset inlet in the barrier island complex of the mid-Atlantic coast (Delmarva peninsula), was studied during the period 1971-1974. The inlet channel width is bout 500 m and the throat cross-sectional is about 4,500 m2 • The inlet channel is about 3 km in length, approximately one-half of which is within the well-developed horseshoe shaped ebb delta complex. The maximum channel depth is 20 rn which occurs at the throat. Elements of the study included: (1) the inlet morphornetric history (120 years), (2) assessment of surficial and sub-bottom sediments within the inlet complex, (3) determination …

A Prototype Lagrangian Current Buoy Using The Carrier Plus Sideband (Csb) Retransmission Of Omega Navigation Symbols, Donald L. Baker, Christian S. Welch

Reports

As part of the continental shelf investigations of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) , electronics were developed and tested to track an ocean-current-following (Lagrangian) buoy by the retransmission of Omega navigation signals to a shore station using medium frequency (2 . 398 MHz) ground wave propagation and equal-carrier-upper-sideband modulation . The buoy electronics include sharp clipping and filtering for noise reduction and Omega signal equalization . The carrier and upper sideband are transmitted with equal power to maintain the relative phases of separate Omega station signals on demodulation. The base station is a 2.4 MHz receiver/demodulator feeding a …

Salinity And Temperature Monitoring System Data For The Lower Rappahannock River Estuary, 1972-1974, G. C. Parker, C. S. Fang

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) installed two remote monitoring stations in the lower reaches of the Rappahannock River to obtain continuous temperature and salinity measurements near the surface and the bottom. The first station was installed at the base of a concrete support of the Rappahannock River (Norris) Bridge, near the mouth of the, river (Figure 1). The second station was installed on the base of Navigation Aid Tower Number 9 just off of Smokey Point, roughly 11 nautical miles upstream from the Norris Bridge. Each station consisted of two salinity and t«~perature probes, one located 6 feet …

A Surface Circulation Study In Middle Elizabeth River, Ching Seng Fang, Christopher S . Welch, Hayden H. Gordon

Reports

A new oil refinery has been proposed to be located in Portsmouth, Virginia south of the Hampton Roads area. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science was asked by NUS Corporation to conduct a surface circulation study to assemble the characteristics of the flow near Lambert Point on the Elizabeth River (Figure 3.1).

This report includes a review of the previous work in the area, a description of the particular experiments performed, and an interpretation of the data in terms of surface circulation. Several small oil slicks were incidentally observed during the experiments and their behavior has been discussed in relation …

Skylab Mss Vs. Photography For Estuarine Water Color Classification, Hayden H. Gordon, Maynard M. Nichols

Reports

On September 12, 1973 at 12:09 EST, the Skylab III satellite passed over the Chesapeake Bay and sensed energy containing information about a large section of the estuary. On the same day scientists from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science simultaneously gathered data in the Rappahannock River, a tributary of the Bay, to determine the physical characteristics of the surface water.

Report On Environmental Effects Of The Second Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Construction : Sediment Distributions And Bottom Characteristic, John D. Boon, George R. Thomas

Reports

Geological observations over a two year period July-December 1973 and January-November 1974.

Suspended Sediments Near Pier 12 Norfolk Navy Base On 26 June And 15 September, 1973, Evon P. Ruzecki, R. Ayres

Reports

Results of two suspended sediment studies near Norfolk Navy Base Pier 12 are given. The studies were conducted during one tidal cycle on both 26 June and 15 September 1973. The following parameters were measured at five stations in the vicinity of the pier: suspended sediment water temperature, salinity and density current speed and direction iv

A Socio-Economic Environmental Baseline Summary For The South Atlantic Region Between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina And Cape Canaveral, Florida Volume Ii : Climatology, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

The geographic area covered in this report extends from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on the north, to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the·south. Included within this area are portions of the coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia. All or portions of thirty coastal counties are included within the study area.

Estuaries in this area tend to be partially mixed due to relatively low runoff per mile of coast. The proximity of the Gulf Stream to the continental shelf and the low runoff combine to cause the salinity of the coastal water to be somewhat higher than that of the coastal …

A Socio-Economic Environmental Baseline Summary For The South Atlantic Region Between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina And Cape Canaveral, Florida Volume Iv: Geological Oceanography, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

The geographic area covered in this report extends from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on the north, to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the south. Included within this area are portions of the coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia. All or portions of thirty coastal counties are included within the study area.

• Chapter 1 - Introduction
• Chapter 2 - Coastal Plain-Subzone I-Cape Hatteras to Winyah Bay
• Chapter 3 - Coastal Plain-Subzone II-Winyah Bay to St. Johns River
• Chapter 4 - Coastal Plain-Subzone III-St. Johns River to Cape Canaveral
• Chapter 5 - Continental Shelf-Subzone I-Cape Hatteras to Winyah Bay
• Chapter 6 - …

A Socio-Economic Environmental Baseline Summary For The South Atlantic Region Between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina And Cape Canaveral, Florida Volume 1 : Physical Oceanography, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

The paucity of oceanographic data on the continental shelf and in the estuaries south of Cape Hatteras, North carolina hinders attempts to document the oceanographic conditions. In general data are more available and conditions better understood in the estuaries than on the continental shelf.

The estuaries of the Southern Atlantic Bight have not been studied as extensively as the large embayments to the north. Generally the estuaries tend to be partially mixed since runoff and thus river flow is not great in these river systems. Both the distance the tidal effect is felt and the distance up the estuary that …

Studies Of Certain Impacts Of Tropical Storm Agnes On The Chesapeake Bay And Its Tributaries - A Final Report On Activities, William J. Hargis Jr.

Reports

In the summer of 1972 Hurricane Agnes, spawned over the Yucatan Peninsula, developed in full force in the Gulf of Mexico, bulled its way ashore in Western Florida (and Southeastern Alabama) and spent its fury in the interior. It arrived in the Middle-Atlantic States as an Extratropical Storm. At every stage it was disruptive and destructive.

In the Chesapeake Bay Drainage Basin, Agnes was particularly spectacular even though her wind velocities were markedly reduced. In particular, she poured vast amounts of rain on an already saturated land. In rapid succession the James, the Potomac and the Susquehanna were driven into …

Segmentation Of Chesapeake Bay: A Representative Exercise, Robert E. Ulanowicz, Bruce J. Neilson

Reports

The goal of the CRC/RANN Waste Water Program is to provide the tools to management agencies which will enable them to make sound quantitative decisions on the siting of future sewage outfalls and the upgrading or elimination of existing sewage treatment plants. Obviously, the available funds do not permit extensive field studies at every possible outfall site. Therefore, some system is needed which will allow data to be transferred from one area to other areas within the Bay which have similar characteristics. A system of "segmentation"., as suggested by Dr. D. W. Pritchard, was chosen by the Scientific Management Advisory …

Lower York River Dissolved Oxygen Study, Robert A. Jordan

Reports

Past studies of the lowerr York River have shown that dissolved oxygen (D .O.) concentrations decline in the summer months, occasionally falling one mg/ 1 near the bottom in deep water (Brehmer,1970; Jordan,1973) . Due to this apparently natural phenomenon the Virginia water quality standards for D.O. in estuaries (4.0 mg/1 allowable minimum, 5 .0 mg/1 minimum daily average, U.S.. E.P.A,1971), are not met during this period . Therefore additional waste-water discharges into the lower York River will not initiate violation of the standards, but may exacerbate the existing situation by extending the area and the time period affected by …

James River Sediment Study: Operation Agnes Final Report, John Lunz, Robert J. Huggett

Reports

Bottom sediment samples were collected from the James River in Virginia and analyzed to evaluate the effects of tropical storm Agnes (summer, 1972) upon the sediment chemistry . The results of these analyses, frcm hereon called "post Agnes data," were compared with data from a similar study carried out during the summer of 1971 ( "pre-Agnes data"), reported under contract no. DACW-65-71-C-00~7 .

The post Agnes samples encompass three distinct shoaling areas involving a total of 34. 75 nautical miles of the James River . The first area extending from mile 24. 75 to 33. 50 can be considered os …

On The Use Of Drift Bottle And Seabed Drifter Data In Coastal Management, Christopher S. Welch, John J. Norcross

Reports

The use of drift bottle and seabed drifter information for use in coastal management is discussed. The drift bottle/seabed drifter portion of VIMS project MACONS (Mid Atlantic Continental Shelf) is described as an example of how a comprehensive survey using drift bottles and seabed drifters provides data useful for coastal management. The data from MACONS are analyzed to answer specific questions of interest to several different coastal managers: a manager siting a deep oil port, one siting a sewage outfall, a manager responsible for setting up emergency beach protection procedures before an accident occurs, and a manager responsible for the …

Development Of The Turbidity Maximum In A Coastal Plain Estuary : Final Report, Maynard M. Nichols, Galen Thompson

Reports

A study of the turbidity maximum in the Rappahannock Estuary; Virginia was conducted to determine how high concentrations of suspended sediment accumulate to form a maximum.

Time-series observations of current velocity, salinity and suspended sediment over 8 to 18 tidal cycles reveal that the maximum forms in a convergence of bottom residual currents near the transition between fresh and salty water. Sediment supplied mainly by the river is transported into the convergence by density currents and accumulates since velocity is nearly zero and settling exceeds upward mixing.

The maximum forms in the middle estuary after freshet or flooding and shifts …

New Approaches To The Study Of The Circulation On The Continental Shelf, Paul V. Hyer

Reports

The current state of knowledge of continental shelf circulation is summarized . Existing data collections are reviewed for quality and quantity. Descriptions are given of possible advanced experiments utilizing remote sensing and buoy technology to study water exchanges between the shelf and Gulf Stream.

Geostrophic Currents And Gulf Stream Study For The Outer Continental Shelf Area Of The Atlantic Ocean From Sandy Hook, New Jersey To Cape Canaveral, Florida, Christoper S. Welch

Reports

This document is being prepared for the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) as a portion of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) response to the geostrophic current estimate portion of task 1 and task 5 of the contract. It consists of an estimate of mean geostrophic currents on the continental shelf of the East Coast of the United States between Sandy Hook, New Jersey and latitude 27°N. Also included is a surmmary of speeds of surface current in the Gulf Stream east of the area of interest.

In addition, the method of estimation for geostrophic currents is described and …

Oceanographic Data Collected In The Chesapeake Bight Of The Virginian Sea From 1966 Though 1969, E. P. Ruzecki, J. J. Norcross, F. J. Wojcik

Reports

This report is intended to make unsynthesized oceanographic data readily available to the scientific community. 3 Similar reports are envisioned which will include physical, chemical, biological and geological data collected by personnel of the Virginia Institute ·of Marine Science in areas of the continental shelf, and coastal zone to include beaches, wetlands, estuaries and tidal rivers - areas in which the Commonwealth of Virginia has a vested interest.

Instructions For Using Oceanography Form 1 (Virginia Institute Of Marine Science Hydrographic Data Form), Richard W. Moncure

Reports

Instructions for coding oceanographic data on Form 1.

Data Report: Operation York River, 1969, P. V. Hyer, E. P. Ruzecki, C. S. Fang

Reports

A field survey was carried out in October 1969 to gather field data from the Mattaponi, Pamunkey and York rivers in order to construct mathematical models for salinity and dissolved oxygen. The results of the field operation are presented, together with a description of the methods and instruments used in the data collection and analysis.

Bahamas Bibliography : A List Of Citations For Scientific, Engineering And Historical Articles Pertaining To The Bahama Islands, Carol Fang, W. Harrison

Reports

Specialized bibliographies are sometimes needed in connection with the research studies being pursued at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The Bahamas Bibliography arose out of the needs of marine geologists, biologists and physical oceanographers engaged in studies of beaches, fishes and inlet currents in the Bahama Islands. Although the present bibliography may suffer from completeness, it significantly surpasses in number of citations the only other known bibliography of like kind.

Storm-Wave And Storm-Surge Modification Of Virginia's Ocean Coast, Wyman Harrison

Reports

The purpose of this study was to begin work on a method for operational prediction of storm-induced beach changes. The thought was to use wind and storm-surge data that are predicted on a routine basis by the National Weather Service, NOAA, and it was felt that if such a procedure could be developed, it would be possible to provide estimates of beach erosion or deposition as part of routine weather forecasts whenever storms threatened. It was also hoped that it might be possible to make estimates of shoreline erosion during previous years by using historical storm data in the prediction …

Investigation Of The Water Table In A Tidal Beach : Final Report, W. Harrison, John D. Boon, L. E. Fausak, C. S. Fang, S. N. Wang

Reports

• I. Instrumentation for Measurement of Water Table Fluctuations by John D. Boon, III, and W. Harrison
• II. The Beach Water Table as a Response Variable of the System by L. E. Fausak
• III. Changes in Foreshore Sand Volume: Role of Fluctuations in Water Table and Ocean Still Water Level by W. Harrison
• IV. One-dimensional Finite Element Analysis of the Groundwater Flow by W. Harrison, C. S. Fang, and S. N. Wang
• V. Two-dimensional Finite Element Analysis of the Groundwater Flow by C. S. Fang, S. N. Wang, and W. Harrison

Surface Observations, Ground Truth And Data : Nasa-Usgs Mission 144 : Chesapeake Bay Region, Sept. 22-30, 1970, Maynard M. Nichols

Reports

Surface observations of coastal waters and "ground. truth" data were obtained to aid interpretation and analyses of overflight photography and imagery. Among the broad objectives of the mission was to investigate the potential of high-altitude, multispectral photography as a tool for the improved planning necessary to cope with multidisciplinary problems within the coastal zone, specifically with regard to:

1. The inventory and evaluation of the central Atlantic coastal area natural resources;

2. The assessment of human and natural degradation of these resources;

3. The feasibility of monitoring resource allocation and management, including land use categories and the impact of urbanization …

The Virginia Flood Of 1969 : The Effects Of Hurricane Camille In The James River Basin Of Virginia, Donovan Kelly

Reports

No abstract provided.

Utilization Of Physical And Mathematical Models In Marine Water Resources Research, Planning And Management : A Final Report, Willliam J. Hargis Jr.

Reports

During the period 1 September 1967 to 30 September 1969, Virginia Institute of Marine Science personnel were engaged in hydraulic model studies, mathematical and computer studies; and instrument and technique development. An investigation was made into the stability and reproducibility of an estuarine hydraulic model.

Studies were made of the dispension of point-source dye releases in an estuarine hydraulic model, and of the applicability of the results to the release of disease-resistant seed oysters.

Analytical studies were made of diffusion in estuaries and of the integro-differential equations for estuarine 'flow. Computer studies were made of two-dimensional estuarine circulation and of …

Characteristics Of Sediments In The James River Estuary, Virginia, Richard Moncure, Maynard Nichols

Reports

This report presents data on the physical and chemical characteristics of bottom sediments in the James River estuary, Virginia. The data were generated as part of a comprehensive study of sedimentation in which the initial objective was to broadly define the distribution of sediment properties.

Hydrographic Data From The Atlantic Plankton Cruises Of The R/V Pathfinder, December 1959 - December 1960, Edwin B. Joseph, William H. Massmann, John J. Norcross

Reports

The data included in this report have resulted from a series of monthly offshore cruises conducted by the Ichthyology Research Section. The cruises were made to obtain information on the distribution and abundance of pelagic eggs and larvae of fishes. Since the biological results will be reported in a series of separate papers (Joseph, Massmann and Norcross, 1961), it was felt that the raw hydrographic data shpuld be made available in a single source.

The area covered is approximately 2500 square nautical miles of the neritic zone within the 20-fathom contour. The shore line encompasses the mouth of Chesapeake Bay …