Kumar, N., J. A. Lerczak, T. Xu, A. F. Waterhouse, J. Thomson, E. J. Terrill, C. Swann, S. H. Suanda,
M. S. Spydell, P. B. Smit, A. Simpson, R. Romeiser, S. D. Pierce, T. de Paolo,
A. Palóczy, A. O'Dea, L. Nyman, J. N. Moum, M. Moulton, A. M. Moore,
A. J. Miller, R. S. Mieras, S. T. Merrifield, K. Melville, J. M. McSweeney,
J. MacMahan, J. A. MacKinnon, B. Lund, E. Di Lorenzo, L. Lenain, M. Kovatch, T. T. Janssen,
S. Haney, M. C. Haller, K. Haas, D. J. Grimes, H. C. Graber,
M. K. Gough, D. A. Fertitta, F. Feddersen, C. A. Edwards,
W. Crawford, J. Colosi, C. C. Chickadel, S. Celona,
J. Calantoni, E. F. Braithwaite III, J. Becherer, J. A. Barth and S. Ahn, 2021:
The Inner-Shelf Dynamics Experiment.
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 102, E1033-E1063.
Abstract.
The inner shelf, the transition zone between the surf zone and the mid shelf, is a dynamically
complex region with the evolution of circulation and stratification driven by multiple physical
processes. Cross-shelf exchange through the inner shelf has important implications for coastal
water quality, ecological connectivity, and lateral movement of sediment and heat. The Inner-Shelf
Dynamics Experiment (ISDE) was an intensive, coordinated, multi-institution field experiment
from Sep.-Oct. 2017, conducted from the mid shelf, through the inner shelf and into the surf
zone near Point Sal, CA. Satellite, airborne, shore- and ship-based remote sensing, in-water
moorings and ship-based sampling, and numerical ocean circulation models forced by winds,
waves and tides were used to investigate the dynamics governing the circulation and transport
in the inner shelf and the role of coastline variability on regional circulation dynamics. Here,
the following physical processes are highlighted: internal wave dynamics from the mid shelf to
the inner shelf; flow separation and eddy shedding off Point Sal; offshore ejection of surfzone
waters from rip currents; and wind-driven subtidal circulation dynamics. The extensive dataset
from ISDE allows for unprecedented investigations into the role of physical processes in creating
spatial heterogeneity, and nonlinear interactions between various inner-shelf physical processes.
Overall, the highly spatially and temporally resolved oceanographic measurements and numerical
simulations of ISDE provide a central framework for studies exploring this complex and fascinating
region of the ocean.
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