Effect of Wind on Surface-Water Flows

Flows in and through the Everglades wetlands and bordering subtidal embayments are often characterized by very low velocities that are driven or controlled at various scales by wind, gravity, pressure, and vegetative resistance. Little is known about the effect of wind on water movement in these environments, and no focused efforts are currently underway to assess its importance. This project will examine the effect of wind on surface-water flows.

With insight into the functional relationships and into the scales at which wind forcing data must be collected for model input gained from the field efforts, the treatment of wind forcing in models can be improved. This, in turn, can lead to enhanced understanding of the significance of wind effects on flow, transport, and horizontal mixing in the SICS (Southern inland coastal systems of Dade County) study area.

This project has been integrated into the TIME project (http://time.er.usgs.gov/)