Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Climate Change And Submerged Aquatic Vegetation In Virginia, Kenneth A. Moore, Robert J. Orth, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science. Initiative For Coastal Climate Change Research

Reports

VIMS climate change white paper: Climate change and submerged aquatic vegetation in Virginia

Marine Plankton Food Webs And Climate Change, Walker O. Smith Jr., Deborah K. Steinberg, Deborah A. Bronk, Kam W. Tang, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science. Initiative For Coastal Climate Change Research

Reports

VIMS climate change white papers: Marine plankton food webs and climate change

Climate Change And Aquatic Animal Health In Virginia : Effects And Responses, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Eugene M. Burreson, Ryan Carnegie, Jeffrey D. Shields, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science. Initiative For Coastal Climate Change Reseach

Reports

Climate change, with concomitant increases in sea level, temperature, greenhouse gases and alterations in precipitation, is a major environmental challenge for the future management of Virginia’s valuable marine resources.

Workshop On Environmental Research Needs In Support Of Potential Virginia Offshore Oil And Gas Activities, Robert J. Diaz, Richard Brill, Linda C. Schaffner, Kenneth W. Able, Larry Atkinson, Diane Austin, Scott Kraus, Douglas Lipton, United States. Minerals Management Service

Reports

The MMS, a bureau within the Department of the Interior, sponsored a workshop on the environmental research needs in support of potential Virginia offshore oil and gas activities 3 and 4 December 2008, in Williamsburg, Virginia. The focus of the workshop was to assess the existing scientific knowledgebase along the Virginia Coast and the information gaps that need to 2 be addressed should a lease sale for oil and gas activities be held for the Virginia outer continental shelf. This report summarizes the outcome of the workshop.

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 …

Sea Coast And Sea Level Trends, John D. Boon

Reports

Coastal residents know that the sea is never still. We witness the daily rise and fall of the tide against our shores, covering and uncovering the intertidal zone. We watch the water’s edge rise higher still during a ‘northeaster’ as storm surge adds to the tide. These events occur and reoccur in cycles and each time a degree of normalcy returns before a new cycle begins. What we don’t see with our own eyes is the slow change in water level that keeps on going – a very long cycle or sea level trend.

A Survey Of The Effectiveness Of Existing Marsh Toe Protection Structures In Virginia, Karen Duhring, Thomas A. Barnard, Center For Coastal Resources Managment, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Shoreline Studies Program

Reports

Using tidal marshes and other vegetated treatments for upland erosion control has been an accepted practice for years, yet the scientific understanding and established guidelines for this approach are limited. This survey was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of existing marsh toe protection structures, a particular type of erosion control treatment associated with tidal marshes on Chesapeake Bay shorelines. Field evaluations were conducted at 36 sites in 6 localities on the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck of Virginia. General dimensions of each structure were recorded and observations made of erosion evidence, structural integrity, construction access impacts, and adjacent landscape settings. …

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 Chesapeake Bay Breakwater Database Project Hurricane Isabel Impacts To Four Breakwater Systems, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Christine A. Wilcox, Linda M. Meneghini, G. R. Thomas, Travis R. Comer

Reports

The Chesapeake Bay Breakwater Database is being developed by personnel in the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s (VIMS) Shoreline Studies Program for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) in order to:

1) document breakwater system performance around Chesapeake Bay relative to predictions

2) develop guidelines for breakwaters in sand limited and fetch limited systems such as estuaries, reservoirs, lakes and bays.

The Tide Next Time, John D. Boon

Reports

Will sea level be higher the next time Virginia encounters a hurricane? The most likely answer is ‘yes’. See https://scholarworks.wm.edu/reports/2803 for my article titled The three Faces of Isabel describing the role of changing sea level in shaping the storm tide produced by Hurricane Isabel on 18 September 2003. As explained in that article, a storm tide is the extreme water level that results when storm surge, the short-term change in water level due to the effects of the storm, is superposed on the everyday rise and fall of the astronomical tide that happens to be in place as the …

The Value Of Created Dunes To Address Coastal Hazards In Chesapeake Bay: Hurricane Isabel Impacts, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Travis R. Comer

Reports

Perhaps the most important function of a created dune, from some perspectives, is coastal protection. Since the initiation of this subtask within the overall Chesapeake Bay Dune Monitoring and Management Analysis project, Hurricane Isabel impacted the coastal plain of Virginia and significantly altered almost all Bay shorelines to one degree or another. This is particularly true of shorelines facing north, east, and south since the winds shifted as the storm passed. The original task scope has changed slightly as a result of Isabel’s passage since it was such a significant storm event and provided an opportunity to show how dunes …

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 …

The Chesapeake Bay : A Synopsis, William J. Hargis Jr.

Reports

No abstract provided.

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.

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 …

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 …

Environmental Studies Relative To Potential Sand Mining In The Vicinity Of The City Of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Carl H. Hobbs Iii

Reports

Part 1: Benthic Habitats and Biological Resources Off the Virginia Coast 1996 and 1997 / G. R. Cutter, Jr. and R. J. Diaz

Part 2: Preliminary Shoreline Adjustments to Dam Neck Beach Nourishment Project Southeast Virginia Coast / C. S. Hardaway, Jr., D. A. Milligan, G. R. Thomas, and C. H. Hobbs, III

Part 3: Nearshore Waves and Currents Observations and Modeling / J. D. Boon

Part 4: Coastal Currents A. Valle-Levinson

Part 5: Benthic Foraminifera and Ostracoda from Virginia Continental Shelf / T. M. Cronin, S. Ishman, R. Wagner, and G. R. Cutter, Jr

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 …

Investigation Of Isolated Sand Shoals On The Inner Shelf Of Virginia Relative To The Potential For Aggregate Mining : Report On Study Of Possible Wave Force Alternations On The Proposed Dredging At Sandbridge Shoal, Va, Jerome Y.-P. Maa, Carl H. Hobbs Iii

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science, together with other state agencies, has a continuing interest in preserving the coastline of Virginia, particularly, the Atlantic coastline in the vicinity of the resort city of Virginia Beach. Because a well maintained beach can serve several purposes , e.g., ( 1) providing public recreational areas, (2) protecting valuable properties that are located near coastline , and (3) reducing the rate of land loss, a great deal of efforts has been devoted to understand the processes that affect the change of shoreline. Among several erosion forces , waves are especially important elements as they …

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 …

Hydrodynamics Of Sediment Suspensions In The Littoral Zone Of The Lower York River - Phase I, John D. Boon

Reports

Motivation for this study derives from a need to know more about processes governing sediment suspension within the shallow waters of the littoral zone (depths< 2m) in coastal estuaries. These are regions in which bottom sediment, in the absence of vegetative cover and depending on grain sizes present, has the potential to be actively eroded and entrained in the water column by wind waves and/or currents. Suspended sediment has the further potential to impact water quality and promote eutrophication through nutrient enrichment processes (Kemp et al., 1983; Orth and Moore, 1983). High sediment loadings also lead to light reduction in the photic zone which can impact the growth or survival of submerged aquatic vegetation (De Groot and de Jonge, 1990).

User's Manual For The Environmental Fluid Dynamics Computer Code, John M. Hamrick

Reports

No abstract provided.

Hydrodynamics Of Sediment Suspensions In The Littoral Zone Of The Lower York River - Phase Ii, John D. Boon

Reports

This report covers the second year (Phase II) of a two-year study. An earlier contract report (Boon,1996) was submitted in January, 1996, to the Virginia Coastal Resources Management Program covering the first year (Phase I) results of a wave , current and suspended sediment monitoring study conducted at the mouth of the York River (Figure 1).

The purpose of the monitoring study , as originally planned , was to investigate processes governing sediment suspension within the shallow waters of the littoral zone (depths< 2m) in coastal estuaries. These are regions in which bottom sediment, in the absence of vegetative cover and depending on sediment grain sizes present, has the potential to be actively eroded and entrained in the water column by wind waves and/or currents. Suspended sediment has the further potential to impact water quality and promote eutrophication through nutrient enrichment processes (Kemp et al., 1983; Orth and Moore, 1983). High sediment loadings also lead to light reduction in the photic zone which can impact the growth or survival of submerged aquatic vegetation (De Groot and de Jonge, 1990) .

Investigation Of Isolated Sand Shoals On The Inner Shelf Of Virginia Relative To The Potential For Aggregate Mining : Report On Task 4, Possible Physical Impact Of Dredging At Sandbridge Shoal Of The 1993-1995 U. S. Minerals Management Service - Commonwealth Of Virginia Cooperative Project, Jerome P.-Y. Maa

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science, together with other state agencies, has a continuing interest in preserving the coastline of Virginia, particularly, the Atlantic coastline in the vicinity of the resort city of Virginia Beach. Because a well maintained beach can serve several purposes, e.g., (1) providing public recreational areas, (2) protecting valuable properties that are located near coastline, and (3) reducing the rate of land loss, a great deal of efforts has been devoted to understand the processes that affect the change of shoreline. Among several erosion forces, waves are especially important elements as they can alter the shoreline …

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.

Directional Wave Observations, Thimble Shoal Light, September 19, 1994 To March 13, 1995, John D. Boon

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Soil and Water conservation, has identified as one of its major goals the systematic study of hydrodynamic processes that affect recreational, shoreline and benthic resources in the coastal zone of the Commonwealth. As one component of the Virginia Coastal Information Program, a wave climatology project was initiated in 1988 with support from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency's Coastal Zone Management Program administered by the Virginia Council on the Environment. Directional wave observations were begun on a seasonal schedule (fall, winter, spring) …

Field Study Of Currents At Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia, John M. Brubaker

Reports

As a component of an investigation into biofouling problems near the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, a field study of currents was conducted in the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River in the vicinity of the shipyard's aircraft carrier slips. The objective of this study was to determine the magnitude and direction of currents in an area encompassing the turning basin adjacent to the slips, and the transitional regions to the north and south where the river tapers from a width of approximately 600 m in the turning basin to its more typical width of 150 m. To the north, the transition …

Water Quality Conditions In The Tidal Rappahannock River: Longitudinal And Dome Surveys In 1993, Kyeong Park, Albert Y. Kuo

Reports

Previous field surveys and modeling studies (Kuo et al. 1991; Park et al. 1993) indicated the presence of three different water quality regimes in the tidal Rappahannock River (Fig. 1), a western shore tributary of Chesapeake Bay: : Region I - hypoxic conditions during summer in the bottom water between km 0-55 : Region II - high chlorophyll concentration between km 80-147 : Region III - waste water discharges from sewage treatment plants To study the differences among these 3 reaches of the river, two types of field surveys were conducted during the summer of 1993: 1) longitudinal surveys in …

Water Quality In Chesapeake Bay : Virginia Portion, Water Year 1993 : A Report To The Virginia Department Of Environmental Quality, Kevin Curling, Bruce Neilson

Reports

The Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP) has three main objectives: (1) characterization of water quality conditions, (2) detection of temporal and spatial trends in water quality, and (3) creation of a data base that furthers our understanding of the processes that control water quality in the Chesapeake Bay system. The purpose of this report is to characterize water quality conditions in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay during the 1993 water year, which runs from October 1992 through September 1993. These monitoring efforts have been conducted with funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Commonwealth of …