The diverse users of Oregon ’s Coos estuary share a need to better understand water circulation and sediment transport in the estuary under present and future conditions. A collaborative research project led by the University of Oregon and South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve filled data gaps and modeled how estuarine circulation and sediment respond to perturbations due to both natural and human-induced causes—such as dredging or inundation caused by sea level rise.

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This collection of videos uses a hydrodynamic model to show salinity changes in the Coos estuary in different geographies and seasons. Animations illustrate model results in historic, present-day, and following proposed dredging of the main channel under various summer and winter conditions.