Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research

1.

Meet with the PIs in North Carolina to plan the field work, data mining tasks, and modeling priorities. Establish model boundaries and begin coding of the 2-D model.

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2.

Install marsh planter experiment at Cedar Island and Pine Knolls. Experiment will allow for measurement of above and belowground production as a function of relative elevation. Marsh planter measurements/observations on biweekly to monthly basis.

COMPLETED MARCH 2006

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3.

Install Sediment Elevation Tables (SET), marker horizons. This experiment will provide data on the response of the marsh surface (elevation change) to a change in plant productivity. COMPLETED MAY 2006

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4.

Install PVC wells and water level recorders at SET sites. Conduct flow velocity measurements over the marsh surface.

RECORDERS INSTALLED JUNE 2006

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5.

Conduct the initial simulations with the 2-D landscape model with ADCIRC providing the boundary conditions. Incorporate plant and surface elevation response data. Supply the model with realistic topography using the existing LIDAR data.

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6.

Make quarterly SET measurements.

1 ST MEASUREMENT JUNE 2006

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7.

Make first harvest of marsh planters at the end of the growing season. Analyze biomass data: Stem density, leaf area, aboveground biomass, belowground biomass and depth profiles.

YEAR 2 COMPLETED

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8.

Synthesize and summarize all the field data (SET, plant response, hydrodynamics) and extant data (LIDAR, AVIRIS imagery, literature data)

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9.

Calibrate the model based on the field measurements. Simplify the transport part of the model so as to allow it to run efficiently in 2-D over long time steps. Run the model with ADCIRC providing the boundary conditions. Validate the model by hindcasting and testing against known plant community distributions (derived by AVIRIS) beyond the study area.

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