Abstract
Drifter tracks and shipboard CTD observations have revealed a number of distinct features of the flood tide circulation carrying water through Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. One of the most noteworthy of these features is a nearshore jet in the flow carrying water to the inlet on a flood tide. Characterized by a shoreward increase in longshore flow, the jet produces a narrow coastal zone over which water is carried into the inlet. The jet appears to be principally a tidal phenomenon, as it is closely reproduced by a tidally-driven barotropic numerical model. The model results also indicate the jet may be a near-inlet feature. Model simulations of spring tide conditions show the jet confined to within 4 km of the inlet mouth. Another observed phenomenon, which is reproduced by the tidal model, is a distinct splitting of the flow entering the inlet, in which water passing through a particular inlet segment tends to move up-estuary along a well-defined path. An observed flow feature not reproduced by the tidal model is an eastward skew of the region over which water is drawn into the inlet on a flood tide. This asymmetry is unrelated to the local wind. Modeling results from a previous study suggest it may be due to convergent flow at the edge of the low salinity plume issuing from the inlet. Taken together, the results of this and other recent studies in the Beaufort Inlet region reveal the importance of nearshore currents on the eastern side of the inlet in delivering oceanic-spawned larvae to the estuarine system connected to the inlet.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Baker, E. T., G. A. Cannon, and H. C. Curl, Jr. 1983. Particle transport processes in a small marine bay. Journal of Geophysical Research 88:9661–9669.
Baptista, A. M., E. E. Adams, and K. D. Stolzenbach. 1984. Eulerian-Lagrangian analysis of pollutant transport in shallow water. Massachusetts Institute of Technology R. M. Parsons Laboratory Technical Report 296, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Blanton, J. O., J. Amft, R. A. Luettich, J. L. Hench, and J. H. Churchill 1999, Tidal and sub-tidal, fluctuations in temperature, salinity and pressure for winter 1996 larval ingress experiment—Beaufort Inlet, NC. Fisheries Oceanography in press.
Boehlert, G. W. and B. C. Mundy. 1988. Roles of behavior and physical factors in larval and juvenile fish recruitment to estuarine nursery areas. American Fisheries Society Symposium 3:51–67.
Bowman, M. L. and R. L. Iverson. 1978. Estuarine and plume fronts, p. 87–104. In M. L. Bowman and W. E. Esaias (eds.), Oceanic Fronts in Coastal Processes, Springer-Verlag, New York.
Churchill, J. H., R. B. Forward, R. A. Luettich, J. L. Hench, W. F. Hettler, L. B. Crowder, and J. O. Blanton. 1999. Circulation and larval fish transport within a tidally dominated estuary. Fisheries Oceanography in press.
Davis, R. E. 1985. Drifter observations of coastal surface currents during CODE: The method and descriptive view. Journal of Geophysical Resarch 90:4741–4755.
Epifanio, C. E., C. C. Valent, and A. E. Pembroke. 1984. Dispersal and recruitment of blue crab larvae in the Delaware Bay, USA. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 18:1–12.
Fisher, H. B. 1972. Mass transports mechanisms in partially stratified estuaries. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 53:671–687.
Foreman, M. G. G., A. M. Baptista, and R. A. Walters 1992. Tidal model studies of particle trajectories around a shallow coastal bank. Atmosphere-Ocean 30:43–69.
Forward, R. B., K. A. Reinsel, D. Peters, R. A. Tankersley, J. H. Churchill, L. Crowder, W. F. Hettler, S. M. Warlen, and M. Green. 1999. Transport of fish larvae through a tidal inlet. Fisheries Oceanography in press.
Geyer, W. R. and H. Nepf. 1996. Tidal pumping of salt in a moderately stratified estuary, p. 213–226. In D. G. Aubrey and C. T. Friedrichs (eds.), Buoyancy Effects on Coastal and Estuarine Dynamics. Coastal and Estuarine Studies. Volume 53. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.
Grenier, R. R., R. A. Luettich, and J. J. Westerink. 1995. A comparison of the nonlinear frictional characteristics of two-dimensional and three-dimensional models of shallow tidal embayments. Journal of Geophysical Research 100:13,719–13,735.
Hettler, W. F. and J. A. Hare. 1998. Abundance and size of larval fish outside the entrance to Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. Estuaries 21:476–499.
Kapolnai, A., F. E. Werner, and J. O. Blanton. 1996. Circulation, mixing, and exchange in the vicinity of tidal inlets: A numerical study. Journal of Geophysical Research 101:14,253–14,268.
Kirby-Smith, W. W. and J. D. Costlow. 1989. The Newport River estuarine system. University of North Carolina-Sea Grant Publication 89-04. Duke University Marine Laboratory. Beaufort, North Carolina.
Kjerfve, B. and J. A. Proehl. 1979. Velocity variability in a cross-section of a well-mixed estuary. Journal of Marine Research 37: 409–418.
Klavans, A. S. 1983. Tidal hydrodynamics and sediment transport in Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Technical Report NOS 100. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Springs, Maryland.
Lewis, R. E. and J. O. Lewis. 1983. The principal factors contributing to the flux of salt in a narrow, partially stratified estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 16:599–626.
Logan, D. G. 1995. Oceanographic processes affecting larval transport in Beaufort Inlet, NC. Masters Thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Luettich, Jr., R. A., J. L. Hench, and F. E. Werner 1999. Numerical simulation of larval ingress mechanisms at Beaufort inlet, North Carolina. Fisheries Oceanography in press.
Luettich, Jr., R. A., J. J. Westerink, and N. W. Scheffner. 1992. ADCIRC: An advanced three-dimentsional circulation model for shelves, coasts and estuaries, Report 1: Theory and methodology of ADCIRC-2DDI and ADCIRC-3DL. Dredging Research Program Technical Report DRP-92-6, Department of Army, United States Army Corport of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Masse, A. K. and C. R. Murthy. 1990. Observations of the Niagara River thermal plume (Lake Ontario, North America). Journal of Geophysical Research 95:16,097–16,110.
Munchow, A. and R. W. Garvine. 1993. Dynamical properties of a buoyancy-driven coastal current. Journal of Geophysical Research 98:20,063–20,077.
Pritchard, D. W. 1967. Observations of circulation in, coastal plain estuaries, p. 37–44. In G. H. Lauff (ed.), Estuaries. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C.
Valle-Levinson, A. and K. M. M. Lwitza. 1995. The effects of channels and shoals on exchange between the Chesapeake Bay and the adjacent ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research 100: 18,551–18,563.
Wells, J. T. and S.-Y. Kim. 1989. Sedimentation in the Albemarle-Pamlico system: Synthesis and hypotheses. Marine Geology 88:263–284.
Westerink, J. J., R. A. Luettich, Jr., and N. W. Scheffner. 1994. ADCIRC: An advanced three-dimensional circulation model for shelves, coasts and estuaries, Report 2: Users manual for ADCIRC-2DDI, Dredging Research Progam Technical Report DRP-94-6 Department of Army, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Weinstein, M. P., S. L. Weiss, R. G. Hodson, and L. R. Gerry. 1980. Retention of three taxa of post-larval fishes in an intensively flushed tidal estuary, Cape Fear River, North Carolina. Fisheries Bulletin 78:419–436.
Wong, K.-C. 1994. On the nature of transverse variability in a coastal plain estuary. Journal of Geophysical Research 99:14,209–14,222.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Churchill, J.H., Hench, J.L., Luettich, R.A. et al. Flood tide circulation near beaufort inlet, North Carolina: Implications for larval recruitment. Estuaries 22, 1057–1070 (1999). https://doi.org/10.2307/1353083
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1353083