Impacts of wind waves on sediment transport in a large,shallow lake

Lake Okeechobee is a large, shallow subtropical lake, located in south Florida. Over the last several decades, Lake Okeechobee has experienced accelerated eutrophication due to excessive phosphorus loads from agricultural run‐off. Recycling of phosphorus from bottom sediments through resuspension is critical to addressing eutrophication of the lake and for water quality management. The present study investigates the impacts of wind waves on sediment transport in Lake Okeechobee, using measured data and the Lake Okeechobee Environmental Model (LOEM). The LOEM was fully calibrated and verified with more than 10 years of measured data in previous studies. Analysis of the measured data indicates significant wave height (SWH) and suspended sediment concentration are closely correlated to the wind speed in the lake. The nonlinear interaction of high‐frequency wind waves with relatively low‐frequency currents in the boundary layer plays a key role in sediment deposition/resuspension. Without considering the effects of wind waves, the bottom shear stress can be greatly underestimated. The spatial variations of key variables for sediment modelling, including SWH, water depth, orbital velocity, current velocity, bottom shear stress and sediment concentration, are discussed. In general, the near‐bottom wave velocity (and the associated bottom shear stress) is greater than or the same order of magnitude as the near‐bed current velocity (and the associated bottom shear stress) in this shallow water system. Although the sediment zones of Lake Okeechobee were described in previous studies, few published papers discussed its formation mechanisms. The findings of the present study include that the multiyear averaged bottom shear stress with wind‐wave effect plays a key role in forming the spatial patterns of the sediment zones. The study results are currently being used in lake management and in developing strategies for reducing phosphorus in the lake.