Author(s): Vivek Bheeroo; Mu-Jung Lee; Kuang-An Chang; Scott A. Socolofsky

Linked Author(s): Scott A. Socolofsky

Keywords: Stratification; UAS; Galveston Bay; Density currents; Surface currents

Abstract: The Houston ship channel acts as the main pathway for tanker and ship traffic in Galveston Bay, TX. This channel runs the length of the bay, from its inland-most point at Baytown to the entrance channel that opens to the Gulf of Mexico. It is dredged to a depth of approximately 16.8 m that acts as a deep cut in the seafloor of an otherwise shallow bay (approximately 3 m elsewhere). The channel allows for the propagation of a salt wedge formed by seawater intrusion during tidal oscillations. The intermittent passage of ships displaces this dense, saline water laterally into the flanks of the ship channel. The resulting density currents penetrate into the shallow bay water and are observed to persist at distant locations from the channel. This has important implications for marine transport, including surface oil spills, harmful algae blooms, and nutrients. Here we observe the ship channel currents and stratification to understand the propagation and mixing of these intermittent, lateral density currents into a shallow bay.

DOI:

Year: 2025