Coastal Circulation and Sediment Dynamics Along West Maui, Hawaii

High-resolution measurements of currents, temperature, salinity and turbidity
were made over the course of three months off West Maui in the summer and early
fall of 2003 to better understand coastal dynamics in coral reef habitats.
Measurements were made through the emplacement of a series of bottom-mounted
instruments in water depths less than 11 m. The studies were conducted in
support of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology
Program's Coral Reef Project. The purpose of these measurements was to collect
hydrographic data to better constrain the variability in currents and water
column properties such as water temperature, salinity and turbidity in the
vicinity of nearshore coral reef systems over the course of a summer and early
fall when coral larvae spawn. These measurements support the ongoing process
studies being conducted under the Coral Reef Project; the ultimate goal is to
better understand the transport mechanisms of sediment, larvae, pollutants and
other particles in coral reef settings. This report, the third in a series of
three, describes data acquisition, processing and analysis. Previous reports
provided data and results on: Long-term measurements of currents, temperature,
salinity and turbidity off Kahana (PART I), and The spatial structure of
currents, temperature, salinity and suspended sediment along West Maui (PART
II).

[Summary provided by the USGS.]