Physical Oceanography Brochure

Physical OceanographyThe physical oceanography data describe circulation patterns and what drives them in CookInlet. For example, how important is the Alaska Coastal Current’s influx into the Inlet in drivingnet circulation in the lower inlet and how do seasonal changes in freshwater input into upperCook Inlet change the net outflow along the west side of Cook Inlet? These questions areimportant to better predict and describe how water currents would carry dissolved contaminantsfrom discharge sources or oil spilled on the surface to potentially sensitive habitats.Cook Inlet Satellite Drifter BuoysCIRCAC continues to fund satellite-tracked drifter buoy deployments as part of a larger projectto develop a numerical model for Cook Inlet. Among other uses, the model data collected fromthe buoys will improve responders’ ability to predict the path of an oil spill. The buoys areoutfitted with GPS units that transmit location every hour as they float with the prevailingcurrents. Dr. Mark Johnson of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks has been tracking the buoyssince last summer, plotting their paths to learn more about surface and subsurface currents inthe region.CIRCAC is working with Dr. Mark Johnson on this project. Dr. Johnson is a professor ofPhysical Oceanography at the Institute of Marine Science and School of Fisheries and OceanSciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. We are also working with personnel at CookInlet Spill Response Inc. to identify appropriate areas to deploy and retrieve the satellite drifters.Cook Inlet HydrographyIn order to improve our understanding of the physical environment of lower Cook Inlet and toaugment recent MMS-funded observational and modeling efforts, CIRCAC is working with theUniversity of Alaska and the Kachemka Bay Research Reserve to conduct an oceanographicmonitoring program to measure the seasonal changes in volume and property fluxes at theinflow and outflow boundaries to Cook Inlet and the northern Gulf of Alaska and to investigatethe mechanisms(s) influencing these fluxes. The study acquires hydrographic and velocitymeasurements along transect lines crossing Kennedy Entrance, Stevenson Entrance, northernShelikof Strait between Shuyak Island and Cape Douglas, the entrance to Kachemak Bay, andbetween the east and west Forelands.CIRCAC is working with Dr. Steve Okkonen of the University of Alaska Fairbanks where he is aResearch Faculty with their School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and with Dr. Scott Pegau,Director of Research at the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve. These two researchers arespecialists in physical oceanography and are conducting the field hydrographic surveys using aCTD and are analyzing and presenting these data for CIRCAC. In addition, these data are beingprovided to Drs. Mark Johnson of the University of Alaska and Andre Proshutensky of theWoods Hole Oceanographic Institute for their development of a three dimensional circulationmodel for Cook Inlet.Cook Inlet Physical Oceanography WorkshopCIRCAC worked with staff at the Alaska Ocean Observing System and the Kachemak BayResearch Reserve to pull together a group of experts in Cook Inlet physical oceanography and 1 / 2Physical Oceanographymodeling during a workshop in February 2005. This list of experts included physicaloceanographers and meteorologists from NOAA, Universities, and private consulting firms. Dr.James Schumacher is compiling and evaluating the proceedings from this workshop. Dr.Schumacher has over 30 years of experience conducting physical oceanography research inAlaska and has been very active as a scientific advisor during many large planning efforts inAlaska such as the Alaska Ocean Observing System, the North Pacific Research Board, andthe Fisheries Oceanographic Coordinated Investigations.Surface Current MappersCIRCAC is a co-sponsor with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries andOcean Sciences, Institute of Marine Science on their Sea-Air-Land Monitoring and ObservingNetwork (SALMON) project utilizing Coastal Ocean Dynamic Applications Radar (CODAR) tomeasure surface current speeds and directions in Cook Inlet. The Principal Investigator for thisproject is Dave L. Musgrave, Ph.D. of the University of Alaska. Oil Spill Trajectory Model - Version 2.01 Feb 29, 2000The purpose of the Cook Inlet Oil Spill Trajectory Model is to track the trajectory (path) ofsurface floating oil (or other substances) after the user has input initial conditions about the spilland wind conditions. Other surface-floating substances can also be tracked with this model.Download the Instruction Manual prior to installation. Click here to download the Model .  2 / 2