Assessing the impact of tides and atmospheric fronts on submesoscale physical and bio-optical distributions near a coastal convergence zone

Abstract

Optically-active constituents vary over short time and space scales in coastal waters, and they are impacted by a variety of complex, inter-related forcing processes. As part of the Integrated Coastal Bio-Optical Dynamics (ICoBOD) project, we conducted a field campaign in Mississippi Sound in the northern Gulf of Mexico during spring 2018 to examine the impact of the passage of atmospheric and tidal fronts on fine-scale physical and bio-optical property distributions in a shallow, dynamic, coastal environment. During a 25-day experiment, we deployed eight moorings over a roughly 7 × 7 km box encompassing a frontal zone, to collect a time series of physical and bio-optical measurements. We describe changes in diver visibility related to the passage of a short-duration, high-turbidity surface plume and nepheloid layer development/decay during a tidal cycle. Maximum nepheloid layer development was observed during low tide and lasted about 9-12 h. The strongest turbidity signal extended about 4-5 m above the bottom (approximately half of the water column), although anomalously elevated values were observed all the way to the surface. In addition, high-resolution (50 m) hydrodynamic model simulations provide insight into the frontal dynamics and aid interpretation of the observed patterns. Mooring observations confirmed model-predicted heat flux changes associated with the passage of an atmospheric cold front.