STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF PROPOSED RESEARCH 



The strength of this approach is the direct, in situ measurement of flow field and turbidity 

 field over storm cycles and seasonal variations. The limitation is that optical turbidity is not a 

 unique measure of suspended particulate mass, nor is it a unique measure of particulate organic 

 carbon, either of which would be preferred. A calibration relating optical signal to concentration 

 of particles, organic carbon, etc., must be relied upon, and this calibration depends on size 

 distribution and material composition, qualities that change with season and depth. 



STATUS OF RESEARCH 



Under DOE support in the Ocean Margins Program, Churchill, Williams, and Pietrafesa 

 have deployed a BASS tripod off Beaufort Inlet to measure response of the seabed to storms. 

 This tripod contained five acoustic current meters, six optical backscatter sensors, pressure, and 

 attitude sensors. Ten days of data were taken, including a period of sediment discharge from 

 coastal rivers following a heavy rain and a high wind event. These data are being analyzed. 



A second BASS tripod is being prepared for deployment along with the NC State tripod 

 in July 94 off Duck, NC. The two tripods will be recovered in August, redeployed in September, 

 and recovered in December. 



Keywords: benthic boundary layer, suspended sediments, turbidity, sediment transport 



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