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• 1. [Article] A Method for Processing Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Velocity Data from Towed, Undulating Vehicles

  The utility of the acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) for sampling small time and space scales of coastal environments can be enhanced by mounting a high-frequency (1200 kHz) ADCP on an oscillating ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: A Method for Processing Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Velocity Data from Towed, Undulating Vehicles Author: Jay, David A., Pan, Jiayi Year: 2008 The utility of the acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) for sampling small time and space scales of coastal environments can be enhanced by mounting a high-frequency (1200 kHz) ADCP on an oscillating towed body. This approach requires both an external reference to convert the measured shears to velocities in the earth coordinates and a method to determine the towed body velocities. During the River Influence on the Shelf Ecosystems (RISE) project cruise, a high-frequency (1200 kHz) and narrowbeam ADCP with mode 12 sampling was mounted on a TRIAXUS oscillating towfish, which steers a 3D path behind the ship. This deployment approach extended the vertical range of the ADCP and allowed it to sample near-surface waters outside the ship?s wake. The measurements from a ship-mounted 1200-kHz narrowbeam ADCP are used as references for TRIAXUS ADCP data, and a method of overlapping bins is employed to recover the entire vertical range of the TRIAXUS ADCP. The TRIAXUS vehicle horizontal velocities are obtained by removing the derived ocean current velocity from the TRIAXUS ADCP measurements. The results show that the method is practical. Title: A Method for Processing Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Velocity Data from Towed, Undulating Vehicles Author: Jay, David A., Pan, Jiayi Year: 2008 The utility of the acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) for sampling small time and space scales of coastal environments can be enhanced by mounting a high-frequency (1200 kHz) ADCP on an oscillating towed body. This approach requires both an external reference to convert the measured shears to velocities in the earth coordinates and a method to determine the towed body velocities. During the River Influence on the Shelf Ecosystems (RISE) project cruise, a high-frequency (1200 kHz) and narrowbeam ADCP with mode 12 sampling was mounted on a TRIAXUS oscillating towfish, which steers a 3D path behind the ship. This deployment approach extended the vertical range of the ADCP and allowed it to sample near-surface waters outside the ship?s wake. The measurements from a ship-mounted 1200-kHz narrowbeam ADCP are used as references for TRIAXUS ADCP data, and a method of overlapping bins is employed to recover the entire vertical range of the TRIAXUS ADCP. The TRIAXUS vehicle horizontal velocities are obtained by removing the derived ocean current velocity from the TRIAXUS ADCP measurements. The results show that the method is practical. Close

• 2. [Article] Asymmetry of Tidal Plume Fronts in an Eastern Boundary Current Regime

  The Columbia River tidal plume or near-field is formed twice daily by the ebb outflow of the Columbia River. It is a part of a larger, anticyclonic plume bulge, which in turn is embedded in far-field plume ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Asymmetry of Tidal Plume Fronts in an Eastern Boundary Current Regime Author: Jay, David A., Pan, Jiayi, Orton, Philip M., Horner-Devine, Alexander R. Year: 2006 The Columbia River tidal plume or near-field is formed twice daily by the ebb outflow of the Columbia River. It is a part of a larger, anticyclonic plume bulge, which in turn is embedded in far-field plume and coastal waters. Because of the mixing caused directly and indirectly by plume fronts, the interaction of the tidal plume and bulge with the California Current upwelling regime plays a vital role in coastal productivity on the Oregon and Washington shelves. The tidal plume is initially supercritical with respect to the internal Froude number on all stronger ebbs. It is separated from the plume bulge by a front, whose properties are very different under upwelling vs. downwelling conditions. Under summer upwelling conditions, this front is sharp and narrow (only 50-100 m wide on its upwind or northern side) and marks a transition from supercritical to subcritical flow for 6-12 hours after high water. This sharp front is a source of turbulent mixing, despite the strong stratification. Because the tidal plume may overlie newly upwelled waters, these fronts can mix nutrients into the plume, enhancing primary productivity. Symmetry would suggest that there should be a sharp front south of the estuary mouth under summer downwelling conditions. Instead, the downwelling tidal plume front is usually broad (up to several km) and diffuse on the upstream side. Less mixing occurs, and the water immediately below the plume consists of old plume and surface ocean waters, both low in nutrients. There is also a second up-welling-downwelling asymmetry. Supercritical upwelling plume fronts often generate solitons trains as they slow and transition to a subcritical state. These soliton trains contribute to vertical mixing in the plume bulge and have a non-zero Stokes drift so that they transport low-salinity water across the tidal plume into the plume bulge. Under downwelling conditions, soliton forma-tion is uncommon. Moreover, solition formation almost always begins on the south side of the plume so that the front "unzips" from south to north. This implies that a frontal transition from supercritical to subcritical conditions first occurs on the south side tidal plume, regardless of whether this is the upwind or downwind side of the plume. This contribution describes and analyzes these two asymmetries using vessel data, SAR images and a vorticity analysis. Internal Froude number and plume depth are key parameters in distinguishing the upwelling and downwelling situations, and the observed asymmetries can be explained in terms of potential vorticity conservation. The tidal outflow embeds relative vorticity in the emerging tidal plume water mass. This vorticity controls the transition of the tidal plume front to a subcritical state and the timing and location of internal wave generation by plume fronts. Title: Asymmetry of Tidal Plume Fronts in an Eastern Boundary Current Regime Author: Jay, David A., Pan, Jiayi, Orton, Philip M., Horner-Devine, Alexander R. Year: 2006 The Columbia River tidal plume or near-field is formed twice daily by the ebb outflow of the Columbia River. It is a part of a larger, anticyclonic plume bulge, which in turn is embedded in far-field plume and coastal waters. Because of the mixing caused directly and indirectly by plume fronts, the interaction of the tidal plume and bulge with the California Current upwelling regime plays a vital role in coastal productivity on the Oregon and Washington shelves. The tidal plume is initially supercritical with respect to the internal Froude number on all stronger ebbs. It is separated from the plume bulge by a front, whose properties are very different under upwelling vs. downwelling conditions. Under summer upwelling conditions, this front is sharp and narrow (only 50-100 m wide on its upwind or northern side) and marks a transition from supercritical to subcritical flow for 6-12 hours after high water. This sharp front is a source of turbulent mixing, despite the strong stratification. Because the tidal plume may overlie newly upwelled waters, these fronts can mix nutrients into the plume, enhancing primary productivity. Symmetry would suggest that there should be a sharp front south of the estuary mouth under summer downwelling conditions. Instead, the downwelling tidal plume front is usually broad (up to several km) and diffuse on the upstream side. Less mixing occurs, and the water immediately below the plume consists of old plume and surface ocean waters, both low in nutrients. There is also a second up-welling-downwelling asymmetry. Supercritical upwelling plume fronts often generate solitons trains as they slow and transition to a subcritical state. These soliton trains contribute to vertical mixing in the plume bulge and have a non-zero Stokes drift so that they transport low-salinity water across the tidal plume into the plume bulge. Under downwelling conditions, soliton forma-tion is uncommon. Moreover, solition formation almost always begins on the south side of the plume so that the front "unzips" from south to north. This implies that a frontal transition from supercritical to subcritical conditions first occurs on the south side tidal plume, regardless of whether this is the upwind or downwind side of the plume. This contribution describes and analyzes these two asymmetries using vessel data, SAR images and a vorticity analysis. Internal Froude number and plume depth are key parameters in distinguishing the upwelling and downwelling situations, and the observed asymmetries can be explained in terms of potential vorticity conservation. The tidal outflow embeds relative vorticity in the emerging tidal plume water mass. This vorticity controls the transition of the tidal plume front to a subcritical state and the timing and location of internal wave generation by plume fronts. Close

• 3. [Article] Observations at the Tidal Plume Front of a High-Volume River Outflow

  We present shipboard observations of very strong convergence, vertical velocities and mixing, and near-bed impacts associated with the leading-edge front of the tidally-pulsed Columbia River plume. With ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Observations at the Tidal Plume Front of a High-Volume River Outflow Author: Orton, Philip M., Jay, David A. Year: 2005 We present shipboard observations of very strong convergence, vertical velocities and mixing, and near-bed impacts associated with the leading-edge front of the tidally-pulsed Columbia River plume. With upwelling-favorable winds and riverflow of 4900 m3s−1, the plume propagates as a buoyant gravity current with a rotary, bore-like vertical frontal circulation and downwelling as strong as 0.35 m s−1. In waters as deep as 65 m, near-bed currents intensify to as much as 1.0 m s−1 after frontal passage, and are often associated with elevated acoustic backscatter. Mixing is locally strong, with an eddy diffusivity of O(0.2 m2s−1) 50 m behind the front, and T-S diagrams imply plume mixing with 10 m deep ocean water. These observations indicate that the leading-edge front of a surface-advected plume can cause exchanges of (a) nutrients between cold subsurface shelf waters and the river plume, and (b) nutrients and sediments across the sediment-water interface. Title: Observations at the Tidal Plume Front of a High-Volume River Outflow Author: Orton, Philip M., Jay, David A. Year: 2005 We present shipboard observations of very strong convergence, vertical velocities and mixing, and near-bed impacts associated with the leading-edge front of the tidally-pulsed Columbia River plume. With upwelling-favorable winds and riverflow of 4900 m3s−1, the plume propagates as a buoyant gravity current with a rotary, bore-like vertical frontal circulation and downwelling as strong as 0.35 m s−1. In waters as deep as 65 m, near-bed currents intensify to as much as 1.0 m s−1 after frontal passage, and are often associated with elevated acoustic backscatter. Mixing is locally strong, with an eddy diffusivity of O(0.2 m2s−1) 50 m behind the front, and T-S diagrams imply plume mixing with 10 m deep ocean water. These observations indicate that the leading-edge front of a surface-advected plume can cause exchanges of (a) nutrients between cold subsurface shelf waters and the river plume, and (b) nutrients and sediments across the sediment-water interface. Close

• 4. [Article] Impacts of Columbia River Discharge on Salmonid Habitat: 2. Changes in Shallow-Water Habitat

  This is the second part of an investigation that analyzes human alteration of shallow-water habitat (SWH) available to juvenile salmonids in the tidal Lower Columbia River. Part 2 develops a one-dimensional, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Impacts of Columbia River Discharge on Salmonid Habitat: 2. Changes in Shallow-Water Habitat Author: Jay, David A., Kukulka, Tobias Year: 2003 This is the second part of an investigation that analyzes human alteration of shallow-water habitat (SWH) available to juvenile salmonids in the tidal Lower Columbia River. Part 2 develops a one-dimensional, subtidal river stage model that explains ~90% of the stage variance in the tidal river. This model and the tidal model developed in part 1 (Kukulka and Jay, 2003) uncouple the nonlinear interaction of river tides and river stage by referring both to external forcing by river discharge, ocean tides, and atmospheric pressure. Applying the two models, daily high-water levels were predicted for a reach from rkm-50 to rkm-90 during 1974 to 1998, the period of contemporary management. Predicted water levels were related to the bathymetry and topography to determine the changes in shallow-water habitat area (SWHA) caused by flood control dikes and altered flow management. Model results suggest that diking and a >40% reduction of peak flows have reduced SWHA by ~62% during the crucial spring freshet period during which juvenile salmon use of SWHA is maximal. Taken individually, diking and flow cycle alteration reduced spring freshet SWHA by 52% and 29%, respectively. SWHA has been both displaced to lower elevations and modified in its character because tidal range has increased. Our models of these processes are economical for the very long simulations (seasons to centuries) needed to understand historic changes and climate impacts on SWH. Through analysis of the nonlinear processes controlling surface elevation in a tidal river, we have identified some of the mechanisms that link freshwater discharge to SWH and salmonid survival. Title: Impacts of Columbia River Discharge on Salmonid Habitat: 2. Changes in Shallow-Water Habitat Author: Jay, David A., Kukulka, Tobias Year: 2003 This is the second part of an investigation that analyzes human alteration of shallow-water habitat (SWH) available to juvenile salmonids in the tidal Lower Columbia River. Part 2 develops a one-dimensional, subtidal river stage model that explains ~90% of the stage variance in the tidal river. This model and the tidal model developed in part 1 (Kukulka and Jay, 2003) uncouple the nonlinear interaction of river tides and river stage by referring both to external forcing by river discharge, ocean tides, and atmospheric pressure. Applying the two models, daily high-water levels were predicted for a reach from rkm-50 to rkm-90 during 1974 to 1998, the period of contemporary management. Predicted water levels were related to the bathymetry and topography to determine the changes in shallow-water habitat area (SWHA) caused by flood control dikes and altered flow management. Model results suggest that diking and a >40% reduction of peak flows have reduced SWHA by ~62% during the crucial spring freshet period during which juvenile salmon use of SWHA is maximal. Taken individually, diking and flow cycle alteration reduced spring freshet SWHA by 52% and 29%, respectively. SWHA has been both displaced to lower elevations and modified in its character because tidal range has increased. Our models of these processes are economical for the very long simulations (seasons to centuries) needed to understand historic changes and climate impacts on SWH. Through analysis of the nonlinear processes controlling surface elevation in a tidal river, we have identified some of the mechanisms that link freshwater discharge to SWH and salmonid survival. Close

• 5. [Article] A Multi-Class Suspended Particulate Matter Calibration for Bottom Boundary Layers

  We present a multi-class suspended particulate matter (SPM) calibration for use with in situ water sample SPM concentration data and backscatter (or transmission) from one or more acoustic and optical ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: A Multi-Class Suspended Particulate Matter Calibration for Bottom Boundary Layers Author: Orton, Philip M., Jay, David A., Wilson, D. J. Year: 2003 We present a multi-class suspended particulate matter (SPM) calibration for use with in situ water sample SPM concentration data and backscatter (or transmission) from one or more acoustic and optical sensors. The output of this calibration is high-resolution SPM concentration data in several discrete settling velocity (Ws) classes. Separately for each sensor, the calibration involves three steps: (1) a calibration of backscatter to total SPM concentration; (2) a decomposition of resulting concentration data into several Wsclasses, utilizing a dynamical vertical SPM profile model; and (3) a sensor bias calibration where water sample concentration data are used to correct for the sediment size-dependence of sensor response. Multiple sensors can be incorporated to improve the results, as step 3 can objectively choose the best sensor for monitoring each Ws-class. The calibration is generally applicable in wave-current boundary layers, though this paper is focused on currents only. We demonstrate the method using data from greater-ebb SPM export events in the Fraser River estuary, when salt has washed out beyond the river entrance, surface currents are strong (3+ m s??) and turbulent mixing is intense. The resulting concentration estimates show good agreement with in situ particle-size observations near the bed, but discrepancies increasing with height above the bed, likely due to violation of model assumptions in the outer part of the water column. An uncertainty analysis indicates that the standard deviation in concentration estimates is 32-48%, primarily due to poor near-bed acoustic data coverage and uncertainty in water sample concentration data. We conclude by discussing planned improvements for strongly advective and aggregate-dominated systems. Title: A Multi-Class Suspended Particulate Matter Calibration for Bottom Boundary Layers Author: Orton, Philip M., Jay, David A., Wilson, D. J. Year: 2003 We present a multi-class suspended particulate matter (SPM) calibration for use with in situ water sample SPM concentration data and backscatter (or transmission) from one or more acoustic and optical sensors. The output of this calibration is high-resolution SPM concentration data in several discrete settling velocity (Ws) classes. Separately for each sensor, the calibration involves three steps: (1) a calibration of backscatter to total SPM concentration; (2) a decomposition of resulting concentration data into several Wsclasses, utilizing a dynamical vertical SPM profile model; and (3) a sensor bias calibration where water sample concentration data are used to correct for the sediment size-dependence of sensor response. Multiple sensors can be incorporated to improve the results, as step 3 can objectively choose the best sensor for monitoring each Ws-class. The calibration is generally applicable in wave-current boundary layers, though this paper is focused on currents only. We demonstrate the method using data from greater-ebb SPM export events in the Fraser River estuary, when salt has washed out beyond the river entrance, surface currents are strong (3+ m s??) and turbulent mixing is intense. The resulting concentration estimates show good agreement with in situ particle-size observations near the bed, but discrepancies increasing with height above the bed, likely due to violation of model assumptions in the outer part of the water column. An uncertainty analysis indicates that the standard deviation in concentration estimates is 32-48%, primarily due to poor near-bed acoustic data coverage and uncertainty in water sample concentration data. We conclude by discussing planned improvements for strongly advective and aggregate-dominated systems. Close

• 6. [Article] The Columbia River Plume Study: Subtidal Variability in the Velocity and Salinity Fields

  A comprehensive study of the strongly wind driven midlatitude buoyant plume from the Columbia River, located on the U.S. west coast, demonstrates that the plume has two basic structures during the fall/winter ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Columbia River Plume Study: Subtidal Variability in the Velocity and Salinity Fields Author: Hickey, B. M., Pietrafesa, Leonard J., Jay, David A., Boicourt, William C. Year: 1998 A comprehensive study of the strongly wind driven midlatitude buoyant plume from the Columbia River, located on the U.S. west coast, demonstrates that the plume has two basic structures during the fall/winter season, namely, a thin (~5~15 m), strongly stratified plume tending west to northwestward during periods of southward or light northward wind stress and a thicker (~10~40 m), weakly stratified plume tending northward and hugging the coast during periods of stronger northward stress. The plume and its velocity field respond nearly instantaneously to changes in wind speed or direction, and the wind fluctuations have timescales of 2-10 days. Frictional wind-driven currents cause the primarily unidirectional flow down the plume axis to veer to the right or left of the axis for northward or southward winds, respectively. Farther downstream, currents turn to parallel rather than cross salinity contours, consistent with a geostrophic balance. In particular, during periods when the plume is separated from the coast, currents tend to flow around the mound of fresher water. At distances exceeding about 20 km from the river mouth, the along-shelf depth-averaged flow over the inner to midshelf is linear, and depth-averaged acceleration is governed to lowest order by the difference between surface and bottom stress alone. In this region, along-shelf geostrophic buoyancy-driven currents at ~5 m (calculated from surface density) and along-shelf geostrophic wind-driven currents (computed from a depth-averaged linear model) are comparable in magnitude (~10-25 cm-1 ). Title: The Columbia River Plume Study: Subtidal Variability in the Velocity and Salinity Fields Author: Hickey, B. M., Pietrafesa, Leonard J., Jay, David A., Boicourt, William C. Year: 1998 A comprehensive study of the strongly wind driven midlatitude buoyant plume from the Columbia River, located on the U.S. west coast, demonstrates that the plume has two basic structures during the fall/winter season, namely, a thin (~5~15 m), strongly stratified plume tending west to northwestward during periods of southward or light northward wind stress and a thicker (~10~40 m), weakly stratified plume tending northward and hugging the coast during periods of stronger northward stress. The plume and its velocity field respond nearly instantaneously to changes in wind speed or direction, and the wind fluctuations have timescales of 2-10 days. Frictional wind-driven currents cause the primarily unidirectional flow down the plume axis to veer to the right or left of the axis for northward or southward winds, respectively. Farther downstream, currents turn to parallel rather than cross salinity contours, consistent with a geostrophic balance. In particular, during periods when the plume is separated from the coast, currents tend to flow around the mound of fresher water. At distances exceeding about 20 km from the river mouth, the along-shelf depth-averaged flow over the inner to midshelf is linear, and depth-averaged acceleration is governed to lowest order by the difference between surface and bottom stress alone. In this region, along-shelf geostrophic buoyancy-driven currents at ~5 m (calculated from surface density) and along-shelf geostrophic wind-driven currents (computed from a depth-averaged linear model) are comparable in magnitude (~10-25 cm-1 ). Close

• 7. [Article] Impacts of Columbia River Discharge on Salmonid Habitat: 1. A Nonstationary Fluvial Tide Model

  This is the first part of a two-part investigation that applies nonstationary time series analysis methods and the St. Venant equations to the problem of understanding juvenile salmonid access to favorable ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Impacts of Columbia River Discharge on Salmonid Habitat: 1. A Nonstationary Fluvial Tide Model Author: Jay, David A., Kukulka, Tobias Year: 2003 This is the first part of a two-part investigation that applies nonstationary time series analysis methods and the St. Venant equations to the problem of understanding juvenile salmonid access to favorable shallow-water habitat in a tidal river. Habitat access is a function of river stage, tidal range, and the distribution of bed elevation. Part 1 models nonstationary tidal properties: species amplitudes and phases and tidal range. Part 2 models low-frequency river stage in the Lower Columbia River and reconstructs historical water levels, using the tidal model from part 1. To incorporate the nonstationary frictional effects of variable river discharge into the tidal model, we decompose the tidal wave into tidal species and calculate daily tidal range. Our one-dimensional tidal model is based on analytic wave solutions to the linearized St. Venant equation and uses six coefficients per tidal species to represent the upstream evolution of the frictionally damped tidal wave. The form of the coefficients is derived from the St. Venant equations, but their values are determined objectively from the data. About 50 station-years of surface elevation data collected (1981-2000) below Bonneville Dam (235 km from the ocean) were processed with a wavelet filter bank to retrieve time series of tidal species properties. A min-max filter was used to estimate daily tidal range. Tidal range, diurnal, and semidiurnal amplitudes were predicted with mean root mean square errorsmm, which is significantly more accurate than predictions obtained from harmonic analysis. Thus despite the compact form of our solution, we model nonstationary fluvial tidal properties with a high level of accuracy. Title: Impacts of Columbia River Discharge on Salmonid Habitat: 1. A Nonstationary Fluvial Tide Model Author: Jay, David A., Kukulka, Tobias Year: 2003 This is the first part of a two-part investigation that applies nonstationary time series analysis methods and the St. Venant equations to the problem of understanding juvenile salmonid access to favorable shallow-water habitat in a tidal river. Habitat access is a function of river stage, tidal range, and the distribution of bed elevation. Part 1 models nonstationary tidal properties: species amplitudes and phases and tidal range. Part 2 models low-frequency river stage in the Lower Columbia River and reconstructs historical water levels, using the tidal model from part 1. To incorporate the nonstationary frictional effects of variable river discharge into the tidal model, we decompose the tidal wave into tidal species and calculate daily tidal range. Our one-dimensional tidal model is based on analytic wave solutions to the linearized St. Venant equation and uses six coefficients per tidal species to represent the upstream evolution of the frictionally damped tidal wave. The form of the coefficients is derived from the St. Venant equations, but their values are determined objectively from the data. About 50 station-years of surface elevation data collected (1981-2000) below Bonneville Dam (235 km from the ocean) were processed with a wavelet filter bank to retrieve time series of tidal species properties. A min-max filter was used to estimate daily tidal range. Tidal range, diurnal, and semidiurnal amplitudes were predicted with mean root mean square errorsmm, which is significantly more accurate than predictions obtained from harmonic analysis. Thus despite the compact form of our solution, we model nonstationary fluvial tidal properties with a high level of accuracy. Close

• 8. [Article] Decadal-Scale Changes in West Coast Shelf Internal Tides (the Tides, They are a Changin')

  The National Science Foundation (NSF) Co-OP (Coastal Ocean Program) Project RISE (River-Influenced Shelf Ecosystems) seeks to understand how primary and secondary productivity are enhanced by large river ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Decadal-Scale Changes in West Coast Shelf Internal Tides (the Tides, They are a Changin') Author: Jay, David A., Chisholm, Thomas A., Krause, A., Leffler, K. Year: 2004 The National Science Foundation (NSF) Co-OP (Coastal Ocean Program) Project RISE (River-Influenced Shelf Ecosystems) seeks to understand how primary and secondary productivity are enhanced by large river plumes in upwelling regions, using the Columbia River plume as a case study. Columbia River plume waters are rich in silicate and iron, but relatively depleted in nitrate. Mixing of nitrate-rich upwelled water with the plume is, therefore, important to plume primary production. Large internal tidal currents cause part of the necessary mixing. Accordingly, any long-term changes in these internal tides could impact productivity. Because no decadal-scale current observations are available to evaluate changes in internal tides, an indirect approach is needed ? we examine long-term changes in the surface tide (which is affected by internal tides) relative to the astronomical tidal potential. Of course, observed tides are affected by human manipulation of coastal environments as well as by changes in internal tides. Thus, four methods were used to separate estuarine human and coastal effects on observed surface tides: (A) Examination of historical changes in tidal admittance along the West Coast using long-term tide stations between 16ø and 60.5ø N; 14 million hourly tidal heights for 1854 to 2004 were analyzed. These stations show a broad range of human impacts, but most show increasing tides. (B) Use of tidal constituent ratios to diagnose processes; e.g., a channelization-induced reduction in estuarine friction affects the S?/M? ratio, while a decrease in K1/M? may indicate the changing influence of internal tides, at least north of 30ø N. (C) Examination of the spatial pattern of tidal properties in the three major West Coast shallow estuaries for which multiple stations with long records are available (San Diego and San Francisco Bays and the Columbia). (D) Analysis of seasonal patterns in tidal admittance relative to river flow and sea level in the Columbia, to separate fluvial and shelf processes. Title: Decadal-Scale Changes in West Coast Shelf Internal Tides (the Tides, They are a Changin') Author: Jay, David A., Chisholm, Thomas A., Krause, A., Leffler, K. Year: 2004 The National Science Foundation (NSF) Co-OP (Coastal Ocean Program) Project RISE (River-Influenced Shelf Ecosystems) seeks to understand how primary and secondary productivity are enhanced by large river plumes in upwelling regions, using the Columbia River plume as a case study. Columbia River plume waters are rich in silicate and iron, but relatively depleted in nitrate. Mixing of nitrate-rich upwelled water with the plume is, therefore, important to plume primary production. Large internal tidal currents cause part of the necessary mixing. Accordingly, any long-term changes in these internal tides could impact productivity. Because no decadal-scale current observations are available to evaluate changes in internal tides, an indirect approach is needed ? we examine long-term changes in the surface tide (which is affected by internal tides) relative to the astronomical tidal potential. Of course, observed tides are affected by human manipulation of coastal environments as well as by changes in internal tides. Thus, four methods were used to separate estuarine human and coastal effects on observed surface tides: (A) Examination of historical changes in tidal admittance along the West Coast using long-term tide stations between 16ø and 60.5ø N; 14 million hourly tidal heights for 1854 to 2004 were analyzed. These stations show a broad range of human impacts, but most show increasing tides. (B) Use of tidal constituent ratios to diagnose processes; e.g., a channelization-induced reduction in estuarine friction affects the S?/M? ratio, while a decrease in K1/M? may indicate the changing influence of internal tides, at least north of 30ø N. (C) Examination of the spatial pattern of tidal properties in the three major West Coast shallow estuaries for which multiple stations with long records are available (San Diego and San Francisco Bays and the Columbia). (D) Analysis of seasonal patterns in tidal admittance relative to river flow and sea level in the Columbia, to separate fluvial and shelf processes. Close

• 9. [Article] New Insights into the Controls and Mechanisms of Plankton Productivity Along the US West Coast

  During the lifetime of the National Science Foundation's Coastal Ocean Processes program, four experiments were conducted on the US West Coast in the northern California Current System. Although each project ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: New Insights into the Controls and Mechanisms of Plankton Productivity Along the US West Coast Author: Kudela, Raphael M., Banas, Neil S., Barth, John A., Frame, Elizabeth R., Jay, David A., Largier, John L., Lessard, Evelyn J., Peterson, Tawnya D., Vander Woude, Andrea J. Year: 2008 During the lifetime of the National Science Foundation's Coastal Ocean Processes program, four experiments were conducted on the US West Coast in the northern California Current System. Although each project had a unique scientific focus, all four addressed the mechanisms causing eastern boundary current systems in general, and the California Current System in particular, to be biologically rich, from phytoplankton to apex predators. Taken together, findings from these projects provide new insights into the canonical view that upwelling systems are simple wind-driven "conveyor belts," bringing cold, nutrient-rich waters to the well-lit surface ocean where biological organisms flourish. We highlight new insights and advances gained from these programs, including recognition that (a) elements other than nitrogen, particularly iron, may limit the base of the food chain, and (b) the source of these nutrients is not solely a result of wind-driven Ekman transport. The importance of retentive features has clearly emerged, whether these are associated with topography, bathymetry, or more transient features such as river plumes. These new insights into the drivers and fate of this high biological productivity should greatly improve current and future generations of ecosystem models and provide a better understanding of the unique physical-biological coupling that makes the California Current System so rich. Title: New Insights into the Controls and Mechanisms of Plankton Productivity Along the US West Coast Author: Kudela, Raphael M., Banas, Neil S., Barth, John A., Frame, Elizabeth R., Jay, David A., Largier, John L., Lessard, Evelyn J., Peterson, Tawnya D., Vander Woude, Andrea J. Year: 2008 During the lifetime of the National Science Foundation's Coastal Ocean Processes program, four experiments were conducted on the US West Coast in the northern California Current System. Although each project had a unique scientific focus, all four addressed the mechanisms causing eastern boundary current systems in general, and the California Current System in particular, to be biologically rich, from phytoplankton to apex predators. Taken together, findings from these projects provide new insights into the canonical view that upwelling systems are simple wind-driven "conveyor belts," bringing cold, nutrient-rich waters to the well-lit surface ocean where biological organisms flourish. We highlight new insights and advances gained from these programs, including recognition that (a) elements other than nitrogen, particularly iron, may limit the base of the food chain, and (b) the source of these nutrients is not solely a result of wind-driven Ekman transport. The importance of retentive features has clearly emerged, whether these are associated with topography, bathymetry, or more transient features such as river plumes. These new insights into the drivers and fate of this high biological productivity should greatly improve current and future generations of ecosystem models and provide a better understanding of the unique physical-biological coupling that makes the California Current System so rich. Close