Lt. Com. John Sifling (Coast Guard) is currently completing
a masters degree at GSO on the physical oceanography of the
Narrow River Estuary. The Narrow River is located in
the southern part of Rhode Island and has been the focus
of a number of scientific studies over the years.
The estuary is somewhat unique in that it is characterized by
two very deep holes in the upper potion of the river. These
regions have stagnant bottom waters, with very bizarre chemistries.
Occasionally the stratified waters overturn and "rotten" smelling
air fills the Narrow River valley. There are also a number of issues regarding the water quality in the estuary and the potential
impact of alterations to Middle Bridge on circulation.
John is using the ADCP to characterize flow patterns in the estuary,
specifically the influence of the large, lower cove on the propagation
of the tidal pulse up the estuary. To accomplish this we have
run transects at the mouth and at Middle Bridge over complete
tidal cycles to record how the volume flux through each cross
section varies with time. In this way John defines a phase lag
due to the cove.