CEE Faculty Receive Funding from Delaware Sea Grant Program

December 21, 2005

The following was excerpted and adapted from an article by Tracey Bryant and Kari Gulbrandsen that appeared in the December 21 issue of UDaily.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded UD $1.3 million a year for the next two years to conduct marine research, education, and public outreach projects critical to Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic region. The funds are awarded through the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, with the federal grant matched by over $500,000 annually from the State of Delaware and more than $600,000 each year from the University of Delaware.

Of the 19 projects selected for funding, three involve faculty from CEE's Center for Applied Coastal Research (CACR).

In the first, Jim Kirby, Edward C. Davis Professor, will work with College of Marine Studies faculty Mohsen Badiey and Kuo-Chuin Wong to develop a model for "nowcasting" ocean surface waves. Nowcasting is a prediction that is time- and place-specific, usually covering a period of up to two hours. A well-developed wave-nowcasting capability that uses the real-time measurements currently available in Delaware Bay and along the adjacent Atlantic beaches could be used by local and federal entities in hazard evaluation, shoreline erosion management, and estuarine environmental studies. Furthermore, the accurate prediction of surface-wave conditions could be combined with weather forecasts to enhance the safety of mariners and fishermen.

In another project, Kirby will collaborate with scientists at The Johns Hopkins University to provide a tool that will lead to better predictions of when and where rip currents are likely to occur. The scientists will obtain data from two heavily used beaches in Delaware and Maryland to validate models that simulate the environment in which rip currents occur. The data will be obtained from a network of local observers including Delaware Sea Grant specialist Wendy Carey, video cameras, and wave measurements.

In the third effort, Prof. Nobu Kobayashi will develop a model to predict the morphological changes of tidal flats due to sea-level rise, tides, and wind-generated waves. Besides serving as a storm buffer, intertidal mudflats are important food sources for crabs, shorebirds, and other marine life.