Mapping ocean outfall plumes and their mixing using autonomous underwater vehicles

Abstract

[1] This paper reports on developing autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) survey methods for ocean outfall discharge plumes and new insights gained on plume mixing. Unique to the study is mapping the discharge mixing using colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) calibrated for effluent dilution. AUV mission planning methodologies for discharge plume sampling, plume characterization using onboard temperature, salinity and optical sensors, and comparison of observational data to model results are presented for the Point Loma Ocean Outfall offshore of San Diego, CA. The results are expected to be applicable to the general theme of mixing of submerged buoyant discharges. In the near-field, the plume is found to mix to a height consistent with the predictions of buoyant jet engineering models. At the far-field, the fine spatial scales of the plume resolved by the vehicle suggests that shear instabilities caused by internal waves can enhance plume mixing and elevate the discharge plume above the predicted equilibrium rise height. These results suggest that even under variable oceanic conditions, properly planned missions for AUVs equipped with an optical CDOM sensor in addition to traditional physical oceanographic sensors, can accurately map the mixing of ocean outfall plumes at resolutions not possible with traditional boat-based techniques. Variations of oceanic conditions are found to influence the mixing and fate of the plume at time scales generally not considered in the design of these discharges. © 2012. American Geophysical Union.