Skip to main content

3D-hydrodynamic simulations in Delaware Bay (2019) forced with river discharge, tides, and subtidal water levels

Dates

Metadata Creation Date
2023-01-27
Publication Date

Citation

Cook, S.E., and Warner, J.C., 2023, U.S. Geological Survey simulations of 3D-hydrodynamics in Delaware Bay (2019) to improve understanding of the mechanisms driving salinity intrusion: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9GU07FL.

Summary

The Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST Warner and others, 2019; Warner and others, 2010) model was used to simulate three-dimensional hydrodynamics and waves to study salinity intrusion in the Delaware Bay estuary for 2019. Salinity intrusion in coastal systems is due in part to extreme events like drought or low-pressure storms and longer-term sea level rise, threatening economic infrastructure and ecological health. Along the eastern seaboard of the United States, approximately 13 million people rely on the water resources of the Delaware River basin, which is actively managed to suppress the salt front (or ~0.52 daily averaged psu line) through river discharge targets. However, river discharge is only part [...]

Contacts

Attached Files

Click on title to download individual files attached to this item.

8.21 GB application/zip
Delaware_Input_tide_subtidal.zip 52.97 MB application/zip
SiteFigure.png
““Delaware Bay model grid””
thumbnail 1.48 MB image/png

Purpose

This simulation focused on the impacts of river discharge, tides and subtidal forcing on salinity intrusion in 2019 in the Delaware Estuary

Additional Information

Identifiers

Type Scheme Key
File Identifier file identifier USGS:6356ece6d34ebe442502d957
File Identifier file identifier USGS:6356ece6d34ebe442502d957
File Identifier file identifier USGS:6356ece6d34ebe442502d957

NetCDF OPeNDAP Service Extension

boundingBox
minY38.57888442021855
minX-75.63290610753754
maxY40.22553296540622
maxX-74.55671530588432
summaryThe Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST Warner and others, 2019; Warner and others, 2010) model was used to simulate three-dimensional hydrodynamics and waves to study salinity intrusion in the Delaware Bay estuary for 2019. Salinity intrusion in coastal systems is due in part to extreme events like drought or low-pressure storms and longer-term sea level rise, threatening economic infrastructure and ecological health. Along the eastern seaboard of the United States, approximately 13 million people rely on the water resources of the Delaware River basin, which is actively managed to suppress the salt front (or ~0.52 daily averaged psu line) through river discharge targets. However, river discharge is only part of the story. The other mechanisms controlling salinity intrusion include tidal motions on daily and spring-neap cycles, bathymetric and topographic features, and meteorological events. It is the interaction of these mechanisms that ultimately determines the distribution of salt in an estuary, particularly during periods of low discharge. The purpose of this study is to examine the mechanisms controlling the location of the salt front in the Delaware Bay estuary using a calibrated three-dimensional hydrodynamic model, the Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Wave and Sediment Transport (COAWST; v. 3.6) modeling system. The model was forced with tides, subtidal water levels, bulk atmospheric conditions, and waves. Compared with the observation-based location of the salt front line the model captured the major dynamics throughout the year and performed well during times of low discharge. The daily average salt front moved almost 16 km (10 mi) within a neap-spring tidal cycle, while low pressure storm systems were found to move the daily averaged salt front by 13-16 km in one event.
title3D-hydrodynamic simulations in Delaware Bay (2019) forced with river discharge, tides, and subtidal water levels
urlhttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/dodsC/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/Output/ocean_deb_sta_run07C_tsvar_testcoawst.nc
variables
nameTobc_in
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#second-1
nameTobc_out
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#second-1
namezeta
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#meter
nameubar
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#meter%20second-1
namevbar
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#meter%20second-1
nameu
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#meter%20second-1
namev
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#meter%20second-1
namew
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#meter%20second-1
nameomega
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#meter3%20second-1
nametemp
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#Celsius
namedye_01
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#kilogram%20meter-3
namedye_02
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#kilogram%20meter-3
namedye_03
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#kilogram%20meter-3
nameAKv
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#meter2%20second-1
nametke
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#meter2%20second-2
namegls
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#meter3%20second-2
namesustr
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#newton%20meter-2
namesvstr
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#newton%20meter-2
namebustr
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#newton%20meter-2
namebvstr
unitshttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/fileServer/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/udunits2_combined_whmsc.xml#newton%20meter-2

OGC Web Service Extension

boundingBox
minY38.57888442021855
minX-75.63290610753754
maxY40.22553296540622
maxX-74.55671530588432
capabilitiesUrlhttps://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/wms/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/Output/ocean_deb_sta_run07C_tsvar_testcoawst.nc?service=WMS&version=1.3.0&request=GetCapabilities
crsEPSG:900913, EPSG:3857
layersTobc_in, Tobc_out, zeta, ubar, vbar, u, v, w, omega, temp, salt, dye_01, dye_02, dye_03, AKv, tke, gls, sustr, svstr, bustr, bvstr
serviceCapabilitiesUrlhttp://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/wms/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/Output/ocean_deb_sta_run07C_tsvar_testcoawst.nc
serviceFeatureInfoUrlhttp://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/wms/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/Output/ocean_deb_sta_run07C_tsvar_testcoawst.nc
serviceMapUrlhttp://geoport.usgs.esipfed.org/thredds/wms/vortexfs1/usgs/Projects/delaware/tide_subtidal/Output/ocean_deb_sta_run07C_tsvar_testcoawst.nc
serviceVersion1.3.0
typeWMS

Item Actions

View Item as ...

Save Item as ...

View Item...