Open AccessObservations of nearshore wave dissipation over muddy sea beds
Author(s) -
Sheremet A.,
Stone G. W.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2003jc001885
Subject(s) - dissipation , geology , storm , sediment , dissipative system , waves and shallow water , geophysics , sedimentary rock , breaking wave , sediment transport , oceanography , wave propagation , geomorphology , physics , paleontology , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Wave propagation on the Louisiana inner shelf is studied using concurrent measurements at two shallow water ocean observatory sites, in sedimentary environments dominated by mud at one site, and sand at the other. Contrary to the widely accepted hypothesis that mud‐induced wave dissipation is important only for long waves, observations show significant damping of high‐frequency, short waves, which interact weakly with the bottom. The mechanism of short wave dissipation is not understood. Numerical simulations show that other dissipative processes such as refraction, or depth‐limited breaking, do not account for the magnitude of the observed effects. Independent observations of strong sediment re‐working during storms suggest that these effects are related to sediment resuspension processes.