Wind, Water Level, and Fluid Mud Thresholds in Lake Apopka, Florida
A study was undertaken at Lake Apopka in Florida to assess the minimum water depth required to contain a wind-induced episodic rise of fluid mud. In a year-long investigation, measurements were made at the mean water depth of 1.3 m to record the variation of suspended sediment concentration due to b...
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2024-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| author | Earl J. Hayter Ashish J. Mehta John M. Jaeger Arnoldo Valle-Levinson Andrew J. Manning Carola Forlini |
| author_facet | Earl J. Hayter Ashish J. Mehta John M. Jaeger Arnoldo Valle-Levinson Andrew J. Manning Carola Forlini |
| author_sort | Earl J. Hayter |
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| description | A study was undertaken at Lake Apopka in Florida to assess the minimum water depth required to contain a wind-induced episodic rise of fluid mud. In a year-long investigation, measurements were made at the mean water depth of 1.3 m to record the variation of suspended sediment concentration due to bed erosion and settling of the flocculated matter. The height of rise is defined as the elevation above the bed at which the mud floc volume fraction is at the threshold between the so-called flocculation settling and hindered settling regimes. The rise, which is considered significant when fluid mud occupies the 0.2 m high benthic boundary layer (BBL), occurs when the threshold wind exceeds about 9 m s<sup>−1</sup> corresponding to a 4% cumulative probability of occurrence. Predictive modeling suggests that in 2 m water depth the required wind would be about 14 m s<sup>−1</sup> with a low probability of 2%. Moreover, a transition occurs from wave-dominant resuspension at low depths to current-dominance in deeper water, which likely influences BBL dynamics with potential effects on the benthic biota. Provided a higher than present depth can be sustained in the large lake, the deduced relationship between fluid mud rise, wind speed, and water depth makes it feasible to select the depth at which the frequency of fluid mud occupying the BBL remains acceptably low. The developed protocol is general enough to be applicable to other similar shallow lakes where fluid mud rise must be contained. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9e429bcf7b7246ab98e36efe3fc6fd3e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-9e429bcf7b7246ab98e36efe3fc6fd3e2025-01-24T13:36:38ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122024-12-011313810.3390/jmse13010038Wind, Water Level, and Fluid Mud Thresholds in Lake Apopka, FloridaEarl J. Hayter0Ashish J. Mehta1John M. Jaeger2Arnoldo Valle-Levinson3Andrew J. Manning4Carola Forlini5U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, MS 39180, USADepartment of Civil and Coastal Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32603, USADepartment of Civil and Coastal Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32603, USADepartment of Civil and Coastal Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32603, USASchool of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UKDepartment of Civil and Coastal Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32603, USAA study was undertaken at Lake Apopka in Florida to assess the minimum water depth required to contain a wind-induced episodic rise of fluid mud. In a year-long investigation, measurements were made at the mean water depth of 1.3 m to record the variation of suspended sediment concentration due to bed erosion and settling of the flocculated matter. The height of rise is defined as the elevation above the bed at which the mud floc volume fraction is at the threshold between the so-called flocculation settling and hindered settling regimes. The rise, which is considered significant when fluid mud occupies the 0.2 m high benthic boundary layer (BBL), occurs when the threshold wind exceeds about 9 m s<sup>−1</sup> corresponding to a 4% cumulative probability of occurrence. Predictive modeling suggests that in 2 m water depth the required wind would be about 14 m s<sup>−1</sup> with a low probability of 2%. Moreover, a transition occurs from wave-dominant resuspension at low depths to current-dominance in deeper water, which likely influences BBL dynamics with potential effects on the benthic biota. Provided a higher than present depth can be sustained in the large lake, the deduced relationship between fluid mud rise, wind speed, and water depth makes it feasible to select the depth at which the frequency of fluid mud occupying the BBL remains acceptably low. The developed protocol is general enough to be applicable to other similar shallow lakes where fluid mud rise must be contained.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/1/38lakesfluid mudresuspensionbenthic boundary layerFlorida |
| spellingShingle | Earl J. Hayter Ashish J. Mehta John M. Jaeger Arnoldo Valle-Levinson Andrew J. Manning Carola Forlini Wind, Water Level, and Fluid Mud Thresholds in Lake Apopka, Florida Journal of Marine Science and Engineering lakes fluid mud resuspension benthic boundary layer Florida |
| title | Wind, Water Level, and Fluid Mud Thresholds in Lake Apopka, Florida |
| title_full | Wind, Water Level, and Fluid Mud Thresholds in Lake Apopka, Florida |
| title_fullStr | Wind, Water Level, and Fluid Mud Thresholds in Lake Apopka, Florida |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wind, Water Level, and Fluid Mud Thresholds in Lake Apopka, Florida |
| title_short | Wind, Water Level, and Fluid Mud Thresholds in Lake Apopka, Florida |
| title_sort | wind water level and fluid mud thresholds in lake apopka florida |
| topic | lakes fluid mud resuspension benthic boundary layer Florida |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/1/38 |
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