Model-measurement Integration Experiment in Estuary Dynamics

The inlets of south Puget Sound are vulnerable to eutrophication, in part because they have limited exchange with the Main Basin of Puget Sound. The Model-measurement Integration Experiment in Estuary Dynamics (MIXED), conducted in Carr Inlet during the spring of 2003, made observations and model simulations of the various mechanisms that affect the estuary. Near the water's surface, the non-tidal velocity was highly correlated with the wind. At mid-depths, the non-tidal velocity was organized into vertical bands arising from internal waves excited by wind forcing of the water surface. The tidal flow was more strongly steered by local bathymetry.Numerical simulations with PRISM's circulation model, an implementation of the Princeton Ocean Model for Puget Sound, re-created many observed features, including a multilayered vertical structure, the mid-depth response to the wind, and characteristics of the tide.

PRISM provided support for Kate Edwards to organize the project, perform analysis, and write up the results. This project was a partnership with the Applied Physics Laboratory, The University of Washington Royalty Research Grant program, and the Washington State Department of Ecology. A paper describing the results was written by Kate Edwards, Mitsuhiro Kawase, and Christian Sarason and published in Estuaries and Coasts (Edwards et al. 2007). In addition, MIXED data are currently being analyzed by graduate students as elements of their master's thesis.