Pritchard's Island WERA Project, December 2005

The South Carolina/Georgia High Frequency (HF) Radar project is being conducted through the University of South Carolina and Skidaway Oceanographic Institution with a grant from SEACOOS (South East Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System). Two WERA HF radarsystems have been installed to provide ocean surface data between Beaufort, SC, and Savannah, GA.

CODAR: November - December 2005

This study sought to determine the feasibility of using a high frequency (HF) radar to measure current velocity in an estuarine environment. A CODAR HF radar system, shown to the right, was installed at the Baruch Institute in Georgetown, SC. An ADCP was also deployed to in the same location in order to gauge the accuracy of the CODAR system.

Oyster Bed Study: November 2005

This study deployed two ADVs, shown here exposed at low tide, in order to determine the impact of bank roughness on flow. The left bank was comprised of an oyster bed (high coefficient of roughness) and the right bank was a mud flat (low coefficient of roughness).

Charleston Bump: August 2003

The BLASST team was part of a reseach group studying the physical and biological dynamics of the Charleston Bump, a geological feature which rises approximately 300 meters from the sea floor off the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia and impacts the flow of the Gulf Stream.

North Inlet: May 2003

During this trip to North Inlet, near Georgetown SC, we collected temperature, salinity, depth, sediment concentration and current velocity data, as well as sediment and water samples.

Winyah Bay

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a devastating type of organic pollutant that is prevalent in the estuarine system at Winyah Bay, near Georgetown SC. PAHs are formed during incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels, and many PAHs are known or suspected carcinogens. In this study, we sought to determine the role played by sediment transport processes in driving the particulate flux of contaminants.

Rutgers University Long-term Ecosystem Observatory (LEO-15)

Another research effort includes the study of sediment transport at the Rutgers University Long-term Ecosystem Observatory (LEO-15) located off of the southern coast of New Jersey. We have deployed benthic tripods to study boundary layer turbulence and associated wave and current-forced sediment transport processes. Over the past 4 years, coastal predictive skill experiments have been carried out at LEO to investigate the role of recurrent upwelling centers on primary productivity and how this affects the optical properties of coastal waters. The lab has also been involved with multi-institutional efforts to study contaminant transport in Newark Bay, New Jersey.