Keywords: numerical model, Croatan-Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary System, CAPES, wind driven circulation, tide, tidal current, river discharge flow, inundation, storm surge.

Numerical studies in the Croatan-Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary System (CAPES), are urgently needed for water quality control, environment protection and disastermitigation. In this study, a three-dimensional primitive equation hydrostatic model withhigh horizontal resolution is configured for the CAPES and its adjacent shelf toinvestigate barotropic/baroclinic wind driven circulation and sea level changes, riverdischarge induced flow, barotropic M2 tide, tidal current and tide-residual current. A newinundation/drying scheme is developed to allow the water-land boundary in the model tomove for simulating hurricane-induced coastal flooding and drying. This inundationalgorithm is based on the sea surface height relative to the adjacent topography, as well asthe distance traveled by the coastal interface, which is determined by the current speedimmediately seaward of the sea-land boundary. The main conclusions of this study are summarized below: (1) The verticalstructure of the wind driven circulation is more complicated in the coastal regions than inthe open area. On the open sea it follows a frictional Ekman equilibrium. (2) Thebaroclinic wind-driven current in the CAPES is over 40 cm/s in some regions due to greatvariations of the salinity distribution. (3) Stream flow nudging is a better method forspecifying the flux boundary condition near a river mouth than the barotropic-flowmethod in simulating river discharge induced flow. In annual mean case, such flow canbe ignored for its contribution to the coastal circulation, however, it could not be ignoredin flood cases. (4) M2 tide is much higher near the coast than inside the CAPES, but M2tidal currents in some regions inside Pamlico Sound can be greater than outside. Therelatively small M2 tide-induced residual current is stable and may have potential effectson long-term cross shelf transport. (5) Mass conservation must be considered in a closedor near closed estuary region when the inundation process is studied, and surfa.

Lagoon Environments Around the World - A Scientific Perspective covers a wide range of topics. Typically bordering between land and sea, lagoons are among the most diversely utilized waterways on the planet. Lagoons are extremely important environments socio-economically, and their usage places ever increasing stress on these very sensitive aquatic regions. The effective management of shallow aquatic environments requires a detailed scientific understanding of the various contributary natural processes. This has both environmental and economic implications, especially where there is any anthropogenic involvement. This book draws on international scientific research to examine the following lagoon related issues: classification, circulation hydrodynamics, ecosystems, sedimentation, anthropogenic stresses, and response to extreme events. The research was carried out by researchers who specialize in shallow water processes and related issues.

This collection contains 83 papers presented at the Solutions to Coastal Disasters 2002 Conference, held in San Diego, California, February 24-27, 2002.