Wave-Mud interactions Across the Louisiana Inner Shelf to the Shoreline

The wave-driven dynamics of the coastal ocean, which is important for transport processes, mixing and circulation, is strongly affected by mud deposits on the continental shelf and in the nearshore. However, the mechanics of wave-mud interaction and the impacts on coastal wave dynamics is not well understood. The overall objective of this work is to contribute to the understanding of the macroscale damping effects of mud on waves and to improve modeling and prediction of wave evolution along muddy coastlines. The specific objectives of the proposed effort are to: 1) establish a comprehensive dataset from two new datasets acquired in 2008 (ONR-funded wave-mud MURI) of waves propagating across more than 25 km over a muddy seafloor, and 2) determine the characteristics of mud-induced dissipation of wave energy from intermediate- to shallow-water depths. The original document contains color images.