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Flow Measurements at the Boynton Inlet

A 500-kHz side-looking acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) was installed on the north seawall of the Boynton Inlet on February 20, 2008, and remained operational through August 2008. The system measured a profile of velocities across the inlet and also measured the water level above the instrument. Data from this system were calibrated by regressing the velocity data with data from an independent, down-looking ADCP which was repeatedly transected across the channel during flood and ebb tidal phases. The down-looking ADCP system was also used to measure the bathymetric profile of the channel at the location of the measurement system. This information was used to generate estimates of the channel flux at 15-minute intervals. These flux measurements were integrated over flood and ebb tidal periods to estimate the tidal prism of the inlet. Comparisons of these tidal prism estimates with wind data collected at Lake Worth Pier showed that the north component of the wind velocity was correlated with the Boynton Inlet tidal prism. (PDF).

Flux Experiments at the Boynton Inlet

The FACE program conducted two 48-hour sampling intensive studies at the Boynton Inlet. Each involved multiple samples taken over a 2-day period, with four outgoing (ebb tide) and four incoming (flood tide) pulses of flow. The intensives were conduced on June 3-4 and September 26-28, 2007. These samples were investigated for chemical and biological properties. In addition, high-quality water flow measurements were conducted.

Samples were obtained from the Boynton Inlet bridge (photo) or at the south side of the inlet. Samples obtained from different positions on the bridge showed that that the water was well mixed across the Inlet.

The 48-hour intensive studies were complemented by flow data from the Boynton Inlet Flow Experiment (BinFlo). The flow through the Inlet was measured for a time period exceeding one year (February 2007 through October 2008) using a calibrated horizontally-directed acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP).

Results of the study were published in 2012. (PDF)


Map showing Boynton Inlet and Lake Worth Lagoon.

Figure 1. Maps showing the Boynton Inlet, South Central Outfall, and Lake Worth Lagoon.