Wind-Driven Circulation in a Shallow Microtidal Estuary: The Indian River Lagoon

Abstract

ABSTRACT Weaver, R.J.; Johnson, J.E., and Ridler, M., 2016. Wind-driven circulation in a shallow microtidal estuary: The Indian River Lagoon. Studying wind-driven fluctuations in the surface elevation along the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) allows researchers to better understand the best methods for managing sustainable water quality in a microtidal estuary. Water quality has a direct effect not only on the marine life, but also on tourism. This study improves the knowledge of circulation and surge in a shallow, microtidal estuary while enabling validation of numerical modeling efforts. Two submersible pressure sensors were deployed in the IRL for 7 months. Data collected from these gauges is analyzed in conjunction with data from permanent gauges at Haulover Canal and Sebastian Inlet, with an emphasis placed on the relationship between surface elevation and meteorological forcing. A time series analysis was employed to correlate periods of harmonic oscillations with wind events. Analysis focused on the dire...