Abstract:
This investigation has been carried out primarily to define the Columbia
River bar crossing problem, to determine the physical factors involved in
hazardous transit developments, and to develop a method for predicting
hazardous bar transit conditions sufficiently in advance to allow proper
safety precautions to be effected.
Actual records of periods of bar closure for the years 1963 - 1969,
as determined by the Columbia River Bar Pilots Association, provide a firm
foundation for the entry into this study. Meteorological and oceanographic
conditions leading to the closures, as well as those occurring during
periods of closure, are being analyzed to identify the more immediate
causes for such situations and also to determine the nature of their temporal
and spatial evolution. Much of the background material necessary for this
study has been compiled, and case histories on conditions leading to closure
circumstances are being prepared to determine the various types of
situation development.
