Coastal dynamics observed from a mobile air-sea interaction platform

A mobile air-sea interaction platform has been developed in order to quantify the spatial and temporal variability of wind-wave-current coupling in coastal and estuarine environments. University of Miami's Surface Physics Experimental Catamaran (SPEC) is outfitted with both atmospheric and oceanographic instruments, as well as an on-board, realtime data acquisition system. SPEC has a custom-designed bow mounting plate that provides a rigid platform for securing sensors away from the vessel's already minimal superstructure. This versatile platform provides the high temporal resolution of conventional moorings and towers coupled with the spatial resolution necessary to capture the complex dynamics of near shore processes. The SPEC was deployed as part of a coastal field campaign that took place along Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast region during the month of December 2013. As part of this effort, the dynamics near a river plume's frontal edge were investigated using both SPEC-mounted instrumentation as well as other SPEC-deployed sensors. Observations revealed internal bores (or propagating hydraulic jumps) traveling away from the plume front. These findings have significant implications for the coastal transport of surface material (e.g., oil) across large distances far from the original source.