This project will combine field measurements and numerical modeling to address the issue of sediment trasport on shoals associates with a cape. The authors will test the hypothesis that tidally-driven flow plays an important role in this wave-dominated setting, and results in a significant offshore transport of sediments. Field measurements will include acoustic doppler current profiler and moored current meters to estabish tidal and higher-frquency flows at Cape Lookout Shoal, NC. Fluorescent and sand tracers and optical backscatter will be used to assess sediment transport, and temperature/salinity measurements will determine the role of estuarine waters.s Numerical modeling will integrate tidal and wind-driven flows with sediment transport patterns. Results of this study are relevant for a wide range of societal issues including coastal erosion and pollutant transport.
