Sommerfield
Christopher K.
Sommerfield
Christopher K.
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ArticleWave generation, dissipation, and disequilibrium in an embayment with complex bathymetry(American Geophysical Union, 2018-10-04) Chen, Jia-Lin ; Ralston, David K. ; Geyer, W. Rockwell ; Sommerfield, Christopher K. ; Chant, Robert J.Heterogeneous, sharply varying bathymetry is common in estuaries and embayments, and complex interactions between the bathymetry and wave processes fundamentally alter the distribution of wave energy. The mechanisms that control the generation and dissipation of wind waves in an embayment with heterogeneous, sharply varying bathymetry are evaluated with an observational and numerical study of the Delaware Estuary. Waves in the lower bay depend on both local wind forcing and remote wave forcing from offshore, but elsewhere in the estuary waves are controlled by the local winds and the response of the wavefield to bathymetric variability. Differences in the wavefield with wind direction highlight the impacts of heterogeneous bathymetry and limited fetch. Under the typical winter northwest wind conditions waves are fetch‐limited in the middle estuary and reach equilibrium with local water depth only in the lower bay. During southerly wind conditions typical of storms, wave energy is near equilibrium in the lower bay, and midestuary waves are attenuated by the combination of whitecapping and bottom friction, particularly over the steep, longitudinal shoals. Although the energy dissipation due to bottom friction is generally small relative to whitecapping, it becomes significant where the waves shoal abruptly due to steep bottom topography. In contrast, directional spreading keeps wave heights in the main channel significantly less than local equilibrium. The wave disequilibrium in the deep navigational channel explains why the marked increase in depth by dredging of the modern channel has had little impact on wave conditions.
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ArticleAuthor Correction : Accuracy and precision of tidal wetland soil carbon mapping in the conterminous United States(Nature Publishing Group, 2018-10-09) Holmquist, James R. ; Windham-Myers, Lisamarie ; Bliss, Norman B. ; Crooks, Stephen ; Morris, James T. ; Megonigal, J. Patrick ; Troxler, Tiffany G. ; Weller, Donald ; Callaway, John ; Drexler, Judith ; Ferner, Matthew C. ; Gonneea, Meagan E. ; Kroeger, Kevin D. ; Schile-Beers, Lisa ; Woo, Isa ; Buffington, Kevin ; Breithaupt, Joshua ; Boyd, Brandon M. ; Brown, Lauren N. ; Dix, Nicole ; Hice, Lyndie ; Horton, Benjamin P. ; MacDonald, Glen M. ; Moyer, Ryan P. ; Reay, William ; Shaw, Timothy ; Smith, Erik ; Smoak, Joseph M. ; Sommerfield, Christopher K. ; Thorne, Karen ; Velinsky, David ; Watson, Elizabeth ; Wilson Grimes, Kristin ; Woodrey, MarkThis Article corrects an error in Equation 1
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PreprintModeling the economic value of carbon sequestration by wetlands in the Delaware Estuary : historic estimates and future projections( 2017-10-04) Carr, Edward W. ; Shirazi, Yosef ; Parsons, George R. ; Hoagland, Porter ; Sommerfield, Christopher K.Coastal wetlands sequester large amounts of carbon in their soils, effectively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and acting as a carbon sink. In this paper, we estimate the economic value of carbon sequestered by wetlands in the Delaware Estuary. We estimate the value of the current stock of wetlands, the value of the historic loss of wetlands, and under a range of different scenarios the expected future loss. We use historical topographic maps and Land Cover inventories of the Delaware Estuary to measure the acreage of tidal wetlands in nine distinct time periods from 1778 to 2011. Using these data, we estimate an annual rate of wetland loss of 1.03km2. Coupling observed land cover change with exogenous factors including sea-level rise, population pressure, and channel dredging, we estimate changes in tidal wetland area under a range of future scenarios for our expected future economic loss estimates.
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PreprintBioturbation depths, rates and processes in Massachusetts Bay sediments inferred from modeling of 210Pb and 239 + 240Pu profiles( 2004-07-20) Crusius, John ; Bothner, Michael H. ; Sommerfield, Christopher K.Profiles of 210Pb and 239+240Pu from sediment cores collected throughout Massachusetts Bay (water depths of 36-192 m) are interpreted with the aid of a numerical sedimentmixing model to infer bioturbation depths, rates and processes. The nuclide data suggest extensive bioturbation to depths of 25-35 cm. Roughly half the cores have 210Pb and 239+240Pu profiles that decrease monotonically from the surface and are consistent with biodiffusive mixing. Bioturbation rates are reasonably well constrained by these profiles and vary from ~0.7 to ~40 cm2 yr-1. As a result of this extensive reworking, however, sediment ages cannot be accurately determined from these radionuclides and only upper limits on sedimentation rates (of ~0.3 cm yr-1) can be inferred. The other half of the radionuclide profiles are characterized by subsurface maxima in each nuclide, which cannot be reproduced by biodiffusive mixing models. A numerical model is used to demonstrate that mixing caused by organisms that feed at the sediment surface and defecate below the surface can cause the subsurface maxima, as suggested by previous work. The deep penetration depths of excess 210Pb and 239+240Pu suggest either that the organisms release material over a range of >15 cm depth or that biodiffusive mixing mediated by other organisms is occurring at depth. Additional constraints from surficial sediment 234Th data suggest that in this half of the cores, the vast majority of the presentday flux of recent, nuclide-bearing material to these core sites is transported over a timescale of a month or more to a depth of a few cm below the sediment surface. As a consequence of the complex mixing processes, surface sediments include material spanning a range of ages and will not accurately record recent changes in contaminant deposition.
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ArticleRapid sediment deposition and fine-scale strata formation in the Hudson estuary(American Geophysical Union, 2004-04-21) Traykovski, Peter A. ; Geyer, W. Rockwell ; Sommerfield, Christopher K.A 9 month time series of tripod-mounted optical and acoustic measurements of sediment concentration and bed elevation was used to examine depositional processes in relationship to hydrodynamic variables in the Hudson River estuary. A series of cores was also taken directly under and adjacent to the acoustic measurements to examine the relation between the depositional processes and the resulting fine-scale stratigraphy. The measurements reveal that deposition occurs as a result of sediment flux convergence behind a salinity front and that the accumulation rates are sufficient to deposit up to 25 cm of new high-porosity sediment in a single ebb-tidal phase. Subsequent dewatering and erosion reduces the thickness of the initial deposit to several centimeters. These depositional events were only observed on spring tides. Ten depositional events during two spring tidal cycles produced a seasonal deposit of 18 cm, consistent with estimates of seasonal deposition from cores. A proxy for near-bed suspended grain size variations was estimated from the combined acoustic and optical measurements, implying that the erosional processes resuspend only the finer-grained sediments, thus leaving behind silt and very fine grained sand beds. The thickness of the deposited homogenous clayey silt beds, and the vertical separation between beds interlaminated with silt and very fine sand, are roughly consistent with the acoustic measurements of changes in bed elevations during deposition and erosion. The variability in individual bed thickness is the result of variations of processes over an individual tidal cycle and is not a product of variations over the spring neap fortnightly timescale.
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ArticleBigger tides, less flooding: Effects of dredging on barotropic dynamics in a highly modified estuary.(American Geophysical Union, 2018-12-11) Ralston, David K. ; Talke, Stefan ; Geyer, W. Rockwell ; Al‐Zubaidi, Hussein A. M. ; Sommerfield, Christopher K.Since the late nineteenth century, channel depths have more than doubled in parts of New York Harbor and the tidal Hudson River, wetlands have been reclaimed and navigational channels widened, and river flow has been regulated. To quantify the effects of these modifications, observations and numerical simulations using historical and modern bathymetry are used to analyze changes in the barotropic dynamics. Model results and water level records for Albany (1868 to present) and New York Harbor (1844 to present) recovered from archives show that the tidal amplitude has more than doubled near the head of tides, whereas increases in the lower estuary have been slight (<10%). Channel deepening has reduced the effective drag in the upper tidal river, shifting the system from hyposynchronous (tide decaying landward) to hypersynchronous (tide amplifying). Similarly, modeling shows that coastal storm effects propagate farther landward, with a 20% increase in amplitude for a major event. In contrast, the decrease in friction with channel deepening has lowered the tidally averaged water level during discharge events, more than compensating for increased surge amplitude. Combined with river regulation that reduced peak discharges, the overall risk of extreme water levels in the upper tidal river decreased after channel construction, reducing the water level for the 10‐year recurrence interval event by almost 3 m. Mean water level decreased sharply with channel modifications around 1930, and subsequent decadal variability has depended both on river discharge and sea level rise. Channel construction has only slightly altered tidal and storm surge amplitudes in the lower estuary.
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ArticleAccuracy and precision of tidal wetland soil carbon mapping in the conterminous United States(Nature Publishing Group, 2018-06-21) Holmquist, James R. ; Windham-Myers, Lisamarie ; Bliss, Norman B. ; Crooks, Stephen ; Morris, James T. ; Megonigal, J. Patrick ; Troxler, Tiffany G. ; Weller, Donald ; Callaway, John ; Drexler, Judith ; Ferner, Matthew C. ; Gonneea, Meagan E. ; Kroeger, Kevin D. ; Schile-Beers, Lisa ; Woo, Isa ; Buffington, Kevin ; Breithaupt, Joshua ; Boyd, Brandon M. ; Brown, Lauren N. ; Dix, Nicole ; Hice, Lyndie ; Horton, Benjamin P. ; MacDonald, Glen M. ; Moyer, Ryan P. ; Reay, William ; Shaw, Timothy ; Smith, Erik ; Smoak, Joseph M. ; Sommerfield, Christopher K. ; Thorne, Karen ; Velinsky, David ; Watson, Elizabeth ; Wilson Grimes, Kristin ; Woodrey, MarkTidal wetlands produce long-term soil organic carbon (C) stocks. Thus for carbon accounting purposes, we need accurate and precise information on the magnitude and spatial distribution of those stocks. We assembled and analyzed an unprecedented soil core dataset, and tested three strategies for mapping carbon stocks: applying the average value from the synthesis to mapped tidal wetlands, applying models fit using empirical data and applied using soil, vegetation and salinity maps, and relying on independently generated soil carbon maps. Soil carbon stocks were far lower on average and varied less spatially and with depth than stocks calculated from available soils maps. Further, variation in carbon density was not well-predicted based on climate, salinity, vegetation, or soil classes. Instead, the assembled dataset showed that carbon density across the conterminous united states (CONUS) was normally distributed, with a predictable range of observations. We identified the simplest strategy, applying mean carbon density (27.0 kg C m−3), as the best performing strategy, and conservatively estimated that the top meter of CONUS tidal wetland soil contains 0.72 petagrams C. This strategy could provide standardization in CONUS tidal carbon accounting until such a time as modeling and mapping advancements can quantitatively improve accuracy and precision.
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DatasetData and numerical methods for determining the dynamics and kinematics of Newark Bay, NJ( 2019-07-30) Corlett, W. Bryce ; Geyer, W. Rockwell ; Chant, Robert J. ; Ralston, David K. ; Sommerfield, Christopher K.These observational data and numerical methods were used to investigate the subtidal salt balance of Newark Bay, a sub-estuarine network connected to the Hudson River estuary through New York Harbor. The moored data were collected in 2008 by Chant and Sommerfield, and in 2016 by Corlett, Geyer, and Ralston. Corlett devised the included numerical methods. Shipboard measurements of the vertical salinity profile near each mooring were used to reconstruct the tidally-varying vertical salinity profile from near-bed and near-surface salinity measurements at each mooring. The effects of tidal processes, such as frontal advection, on the exchange flow were investigated by applying the isohaline total exchange flow (TEF) framework to the mooring-based observations in multiple reaches of the estuarine network. In addition, a TEF-based salt balance was derived for the purpose of directly comparing the TEF framework with the standard Eulerian framework.