Flood tide circulation near Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina: Implications for larval recruitment

Drifter tracks and shipboard CTD observations have revealed a number of dis tinct features of the flood tide circulation carrying water through Beaufor t Met, North Carolina. One of the most noteworthy of these features is a ne arshore jet in the flow carrying water to the inlet on a flood tide. Charac terized by a shoreward increase in longshore flow, the jet produces a narro w coastal zone over which water is carried into the inlet. The jet appears to be principally a tidal phenomenon, as it is closely reproduced by a tida lly-driven barotropic numerical model. The model results also indicate the jet may be a near-inlet feature. Model simulations of spring tide condition s show the jet confined to within 4 km of the inlet mouth. Another observed phenomenon, which is reproduced by the tidal model, is a distinct splittin g of the flow entering the inlet, in which water passing through a particul ar inlet segment tends to move up-estuary along a well-defined path. An obs erved flow feature not reproduced by the tidal model is an eastward skew of the region over which water is drawn into the inlet on a flood tide. This asymmetry is unrelated to the local wind. Modeling results from a previous study suggest it may be due to convergent flow at the edge of the low salin ity plume issuing from the inlet. Taken together, the results of this and o ther recent studies in the Beaufort Met region reveal the importance of nea r-shore currents on the eastern side of the inlet in delivering oceanic-spa wned larvae to the estuarine system connected to the inlet.