Submarine Groundwater Discharge in South Bay, Virginia
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
South bay is a bay off the coast of Virginia that provides a habitat for many marine plants and animals native to Virginia Bays. This project seeks to investigate the possibility of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in the middle of this bay and how wind speed, wind direction, and tidal changes affect the discharge rate. SGD is a source of carbon and nutrients to marine ecosystems and it aids in maintaining a more stable water temperature. Vertical temperature rods were used to measure the temperature gradient of the sediment pore waters in August 2023. A one-dimensional heat transport equation (VFLUX 2) was used to calculate the groundwater discharge or recharge in a location over time. The flux models indicate that there was groundwater discharge for the first three days which gradually shifted to groundwater recharge over the course of four days. This change from discharge to recharge is correlated with changes in wind speed, wind direction, and tidal changes. While more work can be done into deducing the cause of the SGD in the bay and the area where SGD is present, there is submarine groundwater discharge in South Bay.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Joseph Tamborski
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Ocean and Earth Sciences
College Affiliation
College of Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster
Disciplines
Hydrology
Session Title
Poster Session
Location
Learning Commons Lobby @ Perry Library
Start Date
3-30-2024 8:30 AM
End Date
3-30-2024 10:00 AM
Submarine Groundwater Discharge in South Bay, Virginia
Learning Commons Lobby @ Perry Library
South bay is a bay off the coast of Virginia that provides a habitat for many marine plants and animals native to Virginia Bays. This project seeks to investigate the possibility of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in the middle of this bay and how wind speed, wind direction, and tidal changes affect the discharge rate. SGD is a source of carbon and nutrients to marine ecosystems and it aids in maintaining a more stable water temperature. Vertical temperature rods were used to measure the temperature gradient of the sediment pore waters in August 2023. A one-dimensional heat transport equation (VFLUX 2) was used to calculate the groundwater discharge or recharge in a location over time. The flux models indicate that there was groundwater discharge for the first three days which gradually shifted to groundwater recharge over the course of four days. This change from discharge to recharge is correlated with changes in wind speed, wind direction, and tidal changes. While more work can be done into deducing the cause of the SGD in the bay and the area where SGD is present, there is submarine groundwater discharge in South Bay.