Observations of near-bottom flow in a wave-dominated nearshore environment

Abstract

To provide observational data for analysis of near-bottom, wave-induced flows, a downward-looking laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) was deployed to profile the near-bed velocity structure of a six meter water column at a site just outside the surfzone off the coast of North Carolina. 90 second "snap-shots" of the velocity at six elevations below 20 cm above bottom were measured at 25 Hz, while pressure was concurrently measured at 126 cm above bottom. The near-bottom data were supplemented with a benthic acoustic stress sensor (BASS) at approximately 20 cm above bottom which concurrently measured velocity components at 10 Hz. The purposes of this report are to document the collection, processing and archival of these data and to present the profiles for evaluation.