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U.S. Geological Survey
Open-File Report 2004-1287
Version 1.0

Coastal Circulation and Sediment Dynamics Along West Maui, Hawaii

Part III:
Flow and Particulate Dynamics During the 2003 Summer Coral Spawning Season

By Curt D. Storlazzi, Michael E. Field, Andrea S. Ogston, Joshua B. Logan, M. Kathy Presto and Dave G. Gonzales

2004

two satellite images of coastlines

High-resolution measurements of currents, temperature, salinity and turbidity were made over the course of three months off West Maui in the summer and early fall of 2003 to better understand coastal dynamics in coral reef habitats. Measurements were made through the emplacement of a series of bottom-mounted instruments in water depths less than 11 m. The studies were conducted in support of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program's Coral Reef Project. The purpose of these measurements was to collect hydrographic data to better constrain the variability in currents and water column properties such as water temperature, salinity and turbidity in the vicinity of nearshore coral reef systems over the course of a summer and early fall when coral larvae spawn. These measurements support the ongoing process studies being conducted under the Coral Reef Project; the ultimate goal is to better understand the transport mechanisms of sediment, larvae, pollutants and other particles in coral reef settings. This report, the third in a series of three, describes data acquisition, processing and analysis. Previous reports provided data and results on: Long-term measurements of currents, temperature, salinity and turbidity off Kahana (PART I), The spatial structure of currents, temperature, salinity and suspended sediment along West Maui (PART II), and Measurements of waves, currents, temperature, salinity and turbidity in Honolua Bay, Northwest Maui: 2003-2004 (PART IV).

Download this 36-page report as a PDF document (7.1 MB)

For questions about the content of this report, contact Curt Storlazzi

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URL of this page: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1287/
Maintained by: Michael Diggles
Date created: August 20, 2004
Date last modified: March 8, 2005 (mfd)