The goal of this project is to increase the understanding of how the dynamics of the bottom boundary layer affect coastal circulation on continental margins containing a shelfbreak front. Data collected in the Mid-Atlantic Bight were chosen for this study because the shelfbreak front in that region is a robust and persistent feature. The major scientific goals of this project are: evaluate the bottom boundary layer thickness, conduct an analysis of the circulation near the shelfbreak front, and study the bottom flow on the slope. In addition, the study of the bottom flow on the slope will test some scientific hypothesis derived from the models of Lentz and Trowbridge (1991) and Gawarkiewicz and Chapman (1992) which identify the dependence of the boundary layer thickness on the stratification, alongshore flow, and steepness of bottom topography.
