Effects of river discharge, wind stress, and slope eddies on circulation and the satellite-observed structure of the Mississippi River plume

Journal of Coastal Research

Volumn 21, Issue 6, 2005, Pages 1228-1244

  Walker, Nan D ^a   Wiseman Jr , William J ^b   Rouse Jr , Lawrence J ^a   Babin, Adele ^a  

^a LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION   (United States)

Author keywords

Carbon; Chlorophyll a; Coastal current; Cross margin transport; Gulf of Mexico; Hypoxia; Loop Current; MODIS; NOAA AVHRR; Ocean color; OCM; Oil spill response; Satellite remote sensing; SST; Suspended sediment transport

Indexed keywords

COASTAL CIRCULATION; NOAA SATELLITE; RIVER DISCHARGE; RIVER PLUME; WIND STRESS;

ATLANTIC OCEAN; GULF OF MEXICO; MISSISSIPPI PLUME;

EID: 27744445134     PISSN: 07490208     EISSN: 15515036     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2112/04-0347.1     Document Type: Article

References (52)

1. ATKINSON, L.P. and TESTER, P.A., 1994. Low-Salinity Water in the Gulf Stream off North Carolina, Coastal Oceanographic Effects of 1993 Mississippi River Flooding. Silver Spring, Maryland: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Ocean Office/National Weather Service, NOAA Technical Report, 76p.
2. BRICAUD, A.; MOREL, A., and PRIEUR, L., 1981. Absorption by dissolved organic matter of the sea (yellow substance) in the UV and visible domains. Limnology and Oceanography, 26, 43-53.
3. CHEW, F.; DRENNAN, K.L., and DEMORAN, W.J., 1962. Some results of drift bottle studies off the Mississippi Delta. Limnology and Oceanography, 7, 252-257.
4. COCHRANE, J.D. and KELLY, F.J., 1986. Low-frequency circulation on the Texas-Louisiana continental shelf. Journal of Geophysical Research, 91, 10645-10659.
5. COMMITTEE ON OIL IN THE SEA: INPUTS, FATES, AND EFFECTS, 2003. Oil in the Sea III: inputs, fates, and effects. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, Ocean Studies Board and Marine Board, National Research Council, 265p.
6. CORBETT, D.R.; MCKEE, B., and DUNCAN, D., 2004. An evaluation of mobile mud dynamics in the Mississippi River deltaic region, Marine Geology, 209, 91-112.
7. CROUT, R.L.; WISEMAN, W.J., JR., and CHANG, W.S., 1984. Variability of wind-driven currents, west Louisiana inner continental shelf: 1978-1979. Contributions in Marine Science, 27, 1-11.
8. EBBESMEYER, C.C.; WILLIAMS, G.N.; HAMILTON, R.C.; ABBOTT, C.E.; COLLIPP, B.C., and MCFARLANE, C.F., 1982. Strong persistent currents observed at depth off the Mississippi River delta. Proceedings of the 14th International Offshore Technology Conference (Houston, Texas), pp. 259-267.
9. FERNANDEZ-PARTAGAS, J. and MOOERS, C.N.K., 1975. A subsynoptic study of winter cold fronts in Florida. Monthly Weather Review, 103, 742-744.
10. FROIDEFOND, J.M.; CASTAING, P.; JOUANNEAU, J.M.; PRUD'HOMME, R., and DINET, A., 1993. Method for the quantification of suspended sediments from AVHRR NOAA-11 satellite data. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 14(5), 885-894.
11. GORDON, H.R. and WANG, M., 1994. Retrieval of water leaving radiance and aerosol optical thickness over the oceans with Sea-WiFS: a preliminary algorithm. Applied Optics, 33, 443-452.
12. GRAMLING, R.; FORSYTH, C., and WOODELL, G., 1998. Modeling the Mississippi: Transportation risks on the Nation's Busiest Waterway. Louisiana Applied Oil Spill Research and Development Program, OSRADP Technical Report Series 97-005, 15p.
13. HITCHCOCK, G.L.; WISEMAN, W.J., JR.; BOICOURT, W.C.; MARIANO, A.J.; WALKER, N.D.; NELSON, T., and RYAN, E., 1997. Property fields in an effluent plume of the Mississippi River. Journal of Marine Systems, 12, 109-126.
14. HSU, S.A., 1988. Coastal Meteorology. San Diego, California: Academic Press, Inc., 260p.
15. HUH, O.K.; ROUSE, L.J., and WALKER, N.D., 1984. Cold air outbreaks over the Florida continental shelf: heat flux processes and hydrographic changes. Journal of Geophysical Research, 89, 717-726.
16. HUH, O.K. and SCHAUDT, K.J., 1990. Satellite imagery tracks currents in Gulf of Mexico. Oil and Gas Journal, 88, 70-76.
17. HUH, O.K.; WISEMAN, W.J., JR., and ROUSE, L.J., JR., 1978. Winter cycle of sea surface thermal patterns: northeastern gulf of Mexico. Journal of Geophysical Research, 83, 523-529.
18. LEE, T., PODESTA, G.; WILLLIAMS, E.; SPLAIN, J., and JOHNSON, W., 1994. Low-Salinity Water in the Straits of Florida, Coastal Oceanographic Effects of 1993 Mississippi River Flooding. Silver Spring, Maryland: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Coastal Ocean Office/National Weather Service, NOAA Technical Report, 76p.
19. MCCLAIN, E.P.; PICHEL, W.G., and WALTON, C.C., 1985. Comparative performance of AVHRR-based multi-channel sea surface temperatures. Journal of Geophysical Research, 90, 11587-11601.
20. MILLIMAN, J.D. and MEADE, R.H., 1983. World-wide delivery of river sediment to the ocean. Journal of Geology, 91, 1-21.
21. MOREY, S.L.; MARTIN, P.J.; O'BRIEN, J.J.; WALLCRAFT, A.A., and ZAVALA-HIDALGO, J., 2003. Export pathways for river discharged fresh water in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Geophysical Research, 108, 3303, doi: 10.1029/2002JC001674.
22. MULLER-KARGER, F.E.; WALSH, J.J.; EVANS, R.H., and MEYERS, M.B., 1991. On the seasonal phytoplankton concentration and sea surface temperature cycles of the Gulf of Mexico as determined by satellites. Journal of Geophysical Research, 96, 12645-12665.
23. MUNCHOW, A. and GARVINE, R.W., 1993. Buoyancy and wind forcing of a coastal current. Journal of Marine Research, 51, 293-322.
24. MURRAY, S.P., 1972. Observations on wind, tidal and density-driven currents in the vicinity of the Mississippi River delta. In: SWIFT, D.T.P., DUANE, D.B., and PILKEY, O.H. (eds.), Shelf Sediment Transport. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross, Inc., pp. 127-142.
25. MURRAY, S.P.; JAROSZ, E., and WEEKS, E.T., III, 1998. Physical oceanographic observations of the coastal plume. In: MURRAY, S.P. (ed.), An Observational Study of the Mississippi-Atchafalaya Coastal Plume: Final Report. New Orleans: U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Study MMS 98-0040, OCS Region, 513p.
26. MURRAY, S.P. and OWENS, E.H., 1990. The role of oceanic fronts and currents in oil spill dispersion and response planning in the coastal zone. Northern Engineer, 21, 4, 31-39.
27. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, NATIONAL DATA BUOY CENTER. http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/ (accessed July 9, 2005).
28. RABALAIS, N.N.; TURNER, R.E., and WISEMAN, W.J., JR., 2002. Gulf of Mexico hypoxia, a.k.a. "The Dead Zone." Annual Reviews Ecological Systems, 33, 235-263.
29. RABALAIS, N.N.; TURNER, R.E.; WISEMAN, W.J., JR., and BOESCH, D.F., 1991. A brief summary of hypoxia on the northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf: 1985-1988. In: TYSON, R.V., PEARSON, T.H. (eds.), Modern and Ancient Continental Shelf Anoxia. London: Geological Society of London, Special Publication No. 58, pp. 35-47.
30. RHODES, R.C.; WALLCRAFT, A.J., and THOMPSON, J.D., 1985. Navy-corrected geostrophic wind set for the Gulf of Mexico. NORDA Technical Note 310, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, 103p.
31. ROUSE, L.J., 1998. Circulation and hydrographic structure in the vicinity of the Mississippi River delta. In: MURRAY, S.P. (ed.), An Observational Study of the Mississippi-Atchafalaya Coastal Plume: Final Report. New Orleans: U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Study MMS 98-0040, 513p.
32. ROUSE, L.J. and COLEMAN, J.M., 1976. Circulation observations in the Louisiana Bight using LANDSAT imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment, 40, 635-642.
33. SCHROEDER, W.W.; DINNEL, S.P.; WISEMAN, W.J., JR., and MERRELL, W.J., JR., 1987. Circulation patterns inferred from the movement of detached buoys in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Continental Shelf Research, 7, 883-894.
34. STUMPF, R.P., 1992. Remote sensing of water quality in coastal waters. Proceedings of the First Thematic Conference on Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Environment (New Orleans), 15-17 June 1992. SPIE, 1930, 293-305.
35. STUMPF, R.P.; GELFENBAUM, G., and PENNOCK, J.R., 1993. Wind and tidal forcing of a buoyant plume, Mobile Bay, Alabama. Continental Shelf Research, 13(11), 1281-1301.
36. STUMPF, R.P. and PENNOCK, J.R., 1989. Calibration of a general optical equation for remote sensing of suspended sediments in a moderately turbid estuary. Journal of Geophysical Research, 94, 14363-14371.
37. US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, 1984. Mississippi River, Baton Rouge to the Gulf Louisiana Project, Final Environmental Impact Statement Supplement II. New Orleans: US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, Appendix E, E-9p.
38. US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, New Orleans District. Water Control. Discharge Data, http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/ (accessed July 9, 2005).
39. US DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE. Offshore Statistics by Water Depth. http://www.gomr.mms. gov/homepg/fastfacts/waterdepth/ waterdepth.html (accessed July 8, 2005).
40. WALKER, N.D., 1996. Satellite assessment of Mississippi River plume variability: causes and predictability. Remote Sensing of Environment, 58, 1-35.
41. WALKER, N.D.; FARGION, G.; ROUSE, L.J., JR., and BIGGS, D., 1994. Circulation of Mississippi River water discharged into the northern Gulf of Mexico by the Great Flood of Summer 1993. EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 75(36), 409, 414-415.
42. WALKER, N.D. and HAMMACK, A.B., 2000. Impacts of winter storms on circulation and sediment transport: Atchafalaya-Vermilion Bay Region. Journal of Coastal Research, 16(4), 996-1010.
43. WALKER, N.D.; HUH, O.K.; ROUSE, L.J., JR., and MURRAY, S.P., 1996. Evolution and structure of a coastal squirt off the Mississippi River Delta: northern Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Geophysical Research, C9, 20643-20655.
44. WALKER, N.D.; MYINT, S.; BABIN, A., and HAAG, A., 2003. Advances in satellite radiometry for the surveillance of surface temperatures, ocean eddies and upwelling processes in the Gulf of Mexico using GOES-8 measurements during summer. Geophysical Research Letters, 30, 1854, doi: 10.1029/2003GL017555.
45. WAMDI GROUP, 1988. The WAM Model: a third generation ocean wave prediction model. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 18, 1775-1797.
46. WISEMAN, W.J., JR.; BANE, J.M.; MURRAY, S.P., and TUBMAN, M.W., 1976. Small-scale temperature and salinity structure over the inner shelf west of the Mississippi River delta. Memoires Societe Royale des Sciences de Liege. 6e serie. 10, 277-285.
47. WISEMAN, W.J., JR. and DINNEL, S.P., 1988. Shelf currents near the mouth of the Mississippi River. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 18, 1287-1291.
48. WISEMAN, W.J., JR.; RABALAIS, N.N.; TURNER, R.E.; DINNEL, S.P., and MACNAUTHTON, A., 1997. Seasonal and interannual variability within the Louisiana coastal current: stratification and hypoxia. Journal of Marine Systems, 12, 237-248.
49. WISEMAN, W.J., JR. and STURGES, W., 1999. Physical oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico: processes that regulate its biology. In: KUMPF, H.; STEIDINGER, K., and SHERMAN, K. (eds.), The Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Science, Inc., pp. 77-92.
50. WRIGHT, L.D. and COLEMAN, J.M., 1971. Effluent expansion and interfacial mixing in the presence of a salt wedge, Mississippi River delta. Journal of Geophysical Research, 76(36), 8649-8661.
51. YANG, H.; WEISBERG, R.H.; NIILER, P.P.; STURGES, W., and JOHNSON, W., 1999. Lagrangian circulation and forbidden zone on the West Florida Shelf. Continental Shelf Research, 19, 1221-1245.
52. YUAN, J.; MILLER, R.L.; POWELL, R.T., and DAGG, M.J., 2004. Storm-induced injection of the Mississippi River plume into the open Gulf of Mexico. Geophysical Research Letters, 31, L09312, doi: 10.1029/2003GL019335.