Suspended sediment transport patterns in the inner shelf - S. Pedro de Moel (Portugal)

In order to quantify the physical forcing processes associated to sediment transport in the inner shelf, sequential moorings were placed in the three access cable routes connecting the Renewable Energy Experimental Zone (offshore S. Pedro Moel - W Portugal) to the shore. ADCP and LISST data were collected to quantify and establish suspended sediment transport patterns in two different seasonal conditions: September and December 2011. ADCP relative acoustic backscatter was calibrated using LISST suspended sediment concentration and grain size, allowing the integration of current, sediment and wave data. In most cases suspended sediment signatures in all three mooring sites respond mainly to locally induced wave resuspension. More complex dynamic interplay was found in the central mooring site where different finer and coarser sediment signatures were identified, most likely associated with the effect of the Lis River runoff and upwelling fluxes.