Variations of the Fraser River Plume and their relationship to forcing by tide,wind and discharge

Abstract

Temporal and spatial variations of the Fraser River Plume, in the central Strait of Georgia (British Columbia, Canada), are monitored by continuous salinity sampling of the engine cooling water on two B.C. ferries. Travelling along two different routes between Vancouver Island and the mainland the ferries provide eight crossings per day both north and south of the river outflow. From each crossing, characteristic measures of the plume are extracted, such as the average salinity and the maximum salinity gradient. These parameters we then formulated as time series and used to compute cross‐correlations and cross‐spectra with the probable driving forces of wind and river discharge. The effect of the tides is examined using harmonic analysis.

Periods of high river discharge lead to decreases in the average salinity for each section, and peaks in the magnitude of the maximum salinity gradient. The correlation of the plume characteristics (average salinity, maximum salinity gradient) on the southern section with the along‐strait component of the wind is consistent with advection by the wind. No obvious correlation is found between the plume characteristics on the northern section and the wind, except during isolated events. Linear combinations of the wind and the discharge variations reproduce the general trend of the average salinities but cannot explain the level of variability. A shift to a non‐linear combination of wind and discharge improves this comparison. The phases of parameter fluctuations at tidal frequencies on the southern section agree with the expected effects of tidal currents and the modulation of the river discharge. The agreement is not as apparent for the northern section.     

Tide,Wind, and River Forcing of the Surface Currents in the Fraser River Plume

A long-term record of surface currents from a high-frequency radar system, along with near-surface hydrographic transects, moored current meter records, and satellite imagery, are analyzed to determine the relative importance of river discharge, wind, and tides in driving the surface flow in the Fraser River plume. The observations show a great deal of oceanographic and instrumental variability. However, averaged quantities yielded robust results. The effect of river flow, which determines buoyancy and inertia near the river mouth, was found by taking a long-term average. The resulting flow field was dominated by a jet with two asymmetric gyres; the anticyclonic gyre to the north had flow speeds consistent with geostrophy. The mean flow speed near the river mouth was 14.3?cm?s^–1, while the flow further afield was 5?cm?s^–1 or less. Wind stress and surface currents were highly coherent in the subtidal frequency band. Northwesterly winds drive a surface flow to the southeast at speeds of nearly 30?cm?s^–1. Southeasterly winds drive a surface flow to the northwest at speeds reaching 20?cm?s^–1; however, there is more spatial variability in speed and direction relative to the northwesterly wind case. A harmonic analysis was used to extract the tidally driven flows. Ellipse parameters for the major tidal constituents varied considerably in both alignment and aspect ratio over the radar domain, in direct contrast to a barotropic model which predicted rectilinear flow along the Strait of Georgia. This is a result of water filling and draining the shallow mud flats north of the Fraser's main channel. The M₂ velocities at the surface were also weaker than their barotropic counterparts. However, the shallow water constituent MK₃ was enhanced at the surface and nearly as strong as the mean flow, implying that non-linear interactions are important to surface dynamics.     

Near-source particulate emissions and plume dynamics from agricultural field operations

Particulate matter emissions generated by agricultural field preparation and harvesting operations were measured remotely via aerosol lidar and sampled simultaneously with a variety of aerosol point samplers in order to quantify dust plume space and time dynamics and particulate mass and number concentrations. Data for two cotton operations (disking, harvesting) in a flood-irrigated field in New Mexico are presented. Dust plume dynamics varied with boundary layer meteorological conditions, especially atmospheric stability, with plume maximum height significantly lower under stable conditions. Plume tracking indicated little change in plume area with height under unstable conditions and plume movement depended on wind speed and direction. Particle mass distributions indicate approximately 50% of the measured PM₁₀ mass was PM_2.5, significantly higher than previously reported values, possibly due to the near-source nature of the samples collected here. Variability in plume movement matched the variability in short-term wind fluctuations and this variability helps explain why models that utilize long-term averages perform poorly when trying to capture plume dynamics for nonsteady sources such as tractor operations.     

Observations of the Relation Between Upslope Flows and the Convective Boundary Layer in Steep Terrain

Slope flow mechanisms are crucial for the transport of air pollutants in complex terrain. Previous observations in sloping terrain showed upslope flows filling the entire convective boundary layer (CBL) and reducing air pollution concentrations by venting air pollutants out of the CBL into the free atmosphere. During the Pacific 2001 Air Quality Field Study in the Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada, we observed slope flows during weak synoptic winds, clear skies, and strong daytime solar heating. With a Doppler sodar we measured the three wind components at the foot of a slope having an average angle of 19° and a ridge height of 780 m. We operated a scanning lidar system and a tethersonde at a nearby site on the adjacent plain to measure backscatter of particulate matter, temperature, wind speed, wind direction, and specific humidity. Strong daytime upslope flows of up to 6 m s⁻¹ through a depth of up to 500 m occurred in the lower CBL, but with often equally strong and deep return flows in the upper part of the CBL. The mass transport of upslope flow and return flow approximately balanced over a 4-h morning period, suggesting a closed slope-flow circulation within the CBL. These observations showed that air pollutants can remain trapped within a CBL rather than being vented from the CBL into the free atmosphere.     

The circulation and residence time of the strait of Georgia using a simple mixing‐box approach

Abstract

New observations in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada show that temperature and dissolved oxygen have a pronounced seasonal cycle, with a spatially varying phase. Phase lags in oscillating systems arise due to internal time scales which can be interpreted in fluid systems as residence times. Exploiting phase we construct a quantitative and internally consistent circulation scheme for this body of water after dividing it into four regions: the Fraser River plume, the surface waters down to 50 m, the intermediate waters down to 200 m, and the deep water. In this scheme the intermediate water, the largest region by volume, is continually renewed, and its characteristics change in response to continuous changes in the characteristics of source waters. The dependence of the estuarine circulation on variations in fresh inflow is weak. The deep water is volumetrically less important, but seasonal changes in the density of oceanic source waters can produce a variation in the overall circulation by driving an additional inflow which leads to both deep renewal and increased upwelling. In turn, this increased upwelling results in lower surface temperatures than might otherwise be expected. Intermediate water residence times are about 160 days. Deep water is renewed once per year in summer and is affected only by vertical diffusion during the rest of the year. Surface water residence times for the entire Strait are a few months at most, but the Fraser River plume has a freshwater residence time of approximately 1 day. In addition, we find that the residence time of oceanic source waters in the Strait is 1.7 years due to a substantial recirculation in Haro Strait. Other consequences of this scheme are consistent with independent estimates of horizontal transports, air‐sea heat fluxes, subsurface oxygen (O₂) utilization, and primary production. Finally, analysis of the spatial phase variations suggests that the intermediate inflow enters the Strait as a boundary current along the slopes of the Fraser delta.     

武汉城市区域水陆风环流的形成与转化特征研究

大气细颗粒物PM_2.5污染引起的雾霾天气既与本地污染物排放密切有关,也受局地特殊的风场影响.本文以武汉城市区域为研究对象,分别研究了长江沿岸的江陆风环流、东湖沿岸湖陆风环流的形成与转化特征,发现江风、湖风开始时间均为07：00-08：00,一年中最大风速均能达到2 m/s左右,而春夏季江风的持续时间高于秋冬季,夏季湖风的持续时间高于春季.同时发现区域附近温度和相对湿度之间有明显的相关性,湿度变化趋势大体上跟温度变化趋势相反,且温度对相对湿度的影响存在一定的滞后性,延迟时间大约为1 h.     

The rose report — A review

Abstract

Estimates of the entrainment rate of salt water into the Fraser River plume have been made using two independent methods. A value of k = 2 × 10 ^‐4 is obtained for he entrainment coefficient relating the vertical to the horizontal velocity from salt conservation arguments at a series of profiles along the plume and from calculations of surface divergence, as measured by drifting drogues. It is also found that entrainment contributes significantly to the deceleration of the river plume after it issues into the Strait of Georgia.     

Distribution of Suspended Particulate Matter in the Caspian Sea

The distribution of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and chlorophyll a in the Caspian Sea water column from April to November in 2008–2016 is analyzed. It is shown that the spatiotemporal variability of SPM concentration is defined by its sources, especially by the autochthonous (primary production) and allochthonous (particulate river runoff, aerosols) components. The effect of marginal filters of rivers on the volume of coming allochthonous SPM is considered. It is revealed that chlorophyll a is a reliable marker of the autochthonous component of SPM and biogenic sedimentation conditions. The stable vertical stratification defines the distribution of allochthonous and autochthonous SPM in the water column. Vertical profiles of these SPM components in the active layer (its thickness is usually up to ~60 m, more rarely to ~100 m) of the sea are similar in April and October-November and differ much in May-September.     

Direct evidence of the South Java Current system in Ombai Strait

Direct velocity measurements from 2004 through 2006 confirm the eastward flowing surface South Java Current (SJC) and its deeper Undercurrent (SJUC) crosses the Savu Sea to reach Ombai Strait, a main outflow portal of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF). The extension of the South Java Current system into Ombai Strait was hinted at by earlier measurement and modeling studies, but the 3-year velocity time series from two moorings in Ombai Strait clearly show separate distinct cores of flow in the SJC and SJUC. The deeper SJUC is driven by Kelvin waves forced by intraseasonal and semi-annual winds in the equatorial Indian Ocean and, when present, is observed across the entire strait. Eastward flow in the surface SJC is near year-round, although it appears that the mechanisms responsible for this flow differ throughout the year. Both the wind-driven Ekman flow during the northwest monsoon and the strongest semi-annual Kelvin waves that have surface signatures can result in eastward surface layer flow across the entire strait. In contrast, during the southeast monsoon the SJC has a subsurface maximum eastward flow at 50–100 m depth in the northern part of Ombai Strait, while the westward ITF is at an annual maximum at the surface in the southern part of the strait. Surface temperature maps suggest the presence of a front during the southeast monsoon that seems to trap the SJC to within ∼10–15 km of the northern boundary of Ombai Strait. The SJC and the frontal location are related to a complex interplay between local wind-driven Ekman dynamics, the strong ITF flow and topography. Significant energy is found at short intraseasonal time scales (20–60 days) in the along-strait flow that is probably related to the short duration westerly wind bursts that drive the Kelvin waves into Ombai Strait. There is a distinct lack of energy at longer intraseasonal time scales (60–90 days) that is likely attributable to interannual climate variability.     

Urban air-quality assessment and source apportionment studies for Bhubaneshwar, Odisha

Acid- and water-soluble component of suspended particulate matter was studied from January 2009 to December 2009 at Bhubaneshwar, an urban coastal location of eastern India, by high-volume sampler, environmental dust monitor using GRIMM®, and scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The water-soluble components accounted for 30–45 % of the total suspended particulate matter, and the major elements were observed to be ammonium and nitrate as the cationic and anionic species, respectively. The acid-soluble component like copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, and lead accounted for 5–15 % of the total particulate matter concentration. The composition of particulate matter shows a clear seasonal variation in relation to wind speed, wind direction, and trajectories of the air mass movement. The GRIMM spectrometer analysis shows higher concentration of fine particulate matter. Source apportionment and enrichment factor analysis indicated that except sodium and chloride, all other elements have emerged from different sources such as crustal as well as anthropogenic.     

Test of the climatological dispersion model in the strait of canso area,Nova Scotia

Abstract

The Climatological Dispersion Mode1 is used to estimate mean annual and mean monthly concentrations of sulphur dioxide in the Strait of Canso area of Noua Scotia. It is found that the wind distribution at the southern end of the Strait is more likely to produce a reliable estimate of the concentration of pollutants from the taller stacks, whereas the surface wind distribution from a central location in the Strait can be used, because of low‐level channelling, to estimate concentrations of pollutants from the lower sources. Data on winds aloft over the Strait, are utilized in support of this thesis. The procedure does not apply well to the summer months; otherwise the resulting patterns of predicted concentrations of sulphur dioxide are generally consistent with observed values. More accurate and sensitive instruments are needed in future studies of long‐term average conditions.     

Urban air pollution: process identification, impact analysis and evaluation of forecast potential

The daily variations in the atmospheric pollutants like suspended particulate matter (SPM), respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM), sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) depend on both local meteorological processes and various natural as well as anthropogenic sources and sinks. It was shown in an earlier work (Goswami and Baruah in Mon Wea Rev 136(9):3597?C3607, 2008) that the daily variations in SPM over a location could be simulated quite well by considering daily meteorological fields from NCEP Reanalysis in combination with a model for natural and anthropogenic sources over Delhi. In the present work, we extend the scope of the model to include three other pollutants: RSPM, SO₂ and NO₂. While the basic conservation equations and the meteorological fields are common to all the three (and SPM) pollutants, the sources and sinks for each is modeled in a species-specific manner to obtain maximum skill. As we do not consider active chemistry, the present model provides the minimal dynamics of pollution over an urban location in terms of annual load; the model error is about 10% on the average, with no significant bias for any of the species.     

Predicting plume meandering and averaging time effects on mean and fluctuating concentrations in atmospheric dispersion simulated in a water channel

Plume meandering and averaging time effects were measured directly using a high spatial resolution, high frequency, linescan laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique for measuring scalar concentrations in a plume dispersing in a water channel. Post-processing of the collected data removed time dependent background dye levels and corrected for attenuation across the laser beam to produce accurate measurements over long sample times in both a rough surface boundary-layer shear flow and shear free grid-generated turbulent flow. The data were used to verify the applicability of a meandering plume model for predicting the properties of mean and fluctuating concentrations. The centroid position of the crosswind concentration profile was found to have a Gaussian probability density function and the instantaneous plume spread about the centroid fluctuated log-normally. A modified travel-time power law model for averaging time adjustment was developed and compared to the widely used, but much less accurate, 0.2 power-law model.     

OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS OF SEA SURFACE WIND OVER THE QIONGZHOU STRAIT

The spatial variation and diurnal fluctuation of sea surface wind over the Qiongzhou Strait were described using verified datasets from automatic weather stations on board a ferry, buoys, and on the coast. Results are as follows: (1) On average, sea surface wind speed is 3–4 m/s larger over the Qiongzhou Strait than in the coastal area. Sea surface wind speeds of 8.0 m/s or above (on Beaufort scale five) in the coastal area are associated with speeds 5–6 m/s greater over the surface of the Qiongzhou Strait. (2) Gust coefficients for the Qiongzhou Strait decrease along with increasing wind speeds. When coastal wind speed is less than scale five, the average gust coefficient over the sea surface is between 1.4 and 1.5; when wind speed is equal to scale five or above, the average gust coefficient is about 1.35. (3) In autumn and winter, the diurnal differences of average wind speed and wind consistency over the strait are less than those in the coastal area; when wind speed is 10.8 m/s (scale six) or above, the diurnal difference of average wind speed decreases while wind consistency increases for both the strait and the coast.     

Atmospheric and tidal forcing of the exchange between Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska

Current meter data from a series of oceanographic moorings spanning a total of five years was analyzed to quantify the tidal and subtidal exchange of water between Prince William Sound and the adjacent continental shelf in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Velocity profiles were used to quantify the exchange in terms of a transport through each of the two largest passages: Montague Strait and Hinchinbrook Entrance. Buoy wind and atmospheric pressure observations, as well as bottom pressure records, are then used to elucidate the role of atmospheric forcing on the exchange.An EOF analysis shows that the barotropic component accounts for 62% or more of the variance in the velocity profiles even after tides are removed by low-pass filtering, and thus the analysis is concerned primarily with depth-integrated transport. The estimated depth-integrated transport can reach ±0.6 Sv in Montague Strait, and ±1.5 Sv in Hinchinbrook Entrance. The largest fluctuations occur in response to the semidiurnal tides. Transport variations on subtidal time scales, which can reach −0.2 Sv in Montague Strait, and +0.6 Sv in Hinchinbrook Entrance, are shown by a frequency domain analysis to be dominated by easterly wind stress events which occur at periods of 2–5 days in both summer and winter. Atmospheric pressure has much less impact on transport, but there is some evidence that it might play a small role on time scales of a few weeks.Bottom pressure records suggest that easterly wind events set up a sea level height gradient in Hinchinbrook Entrance such that it tilts up to the east, which under geostrophy drives a barotropic flow into Prince William Sound. The same winds also raise the sea level in Hinchinbrook Entrance relative to Montague Strait, encouraging an outflow there in agreement with the ADCP observations. There is no evidence that the wind drives a vertically sheared bi-directional flow in either entrance, as has been observed in some estuaries. It is hypothesized that the lack of such a flow is possible because Prince William Sound has two major connections to the shelf, which alters the mass conservation requirement for each passage when compared to a system with just one entrance.     

Wave-Modified Flux and Plume Dispersion in the Stable Boundary Layer

The effects of a pressure jump and a following internal gravity wave on turbulence and plume diffusion in the stable planetary boundary layer are examined. The pressure jump was accompanied by a sudden increase in turbulence and plume dispersion. The effects of wave perturbations on turbulence statistics are analysed by calculating fluxes and variances with and without the wave signal for averaging times ranging from 1 to 30 min. The wave signals are obtained using a band-pass filter. It is shown that second-order turbulence quantities calculated without first subtracting the wave perturbations from the time are greater than those calculated when the wave signal is separated from the turbulence. Estimates of the vertical dispersion of an elevated tracer plume in the stable boundary layer are made using an elastic backscatter lidar. Plume dispersion observed 25 m downwind of the source increases rapidly with the arrival of the flow disturbances. Measured plume dispersion and plume centreline height correlate with the standard deviation of the vertical velocity but not with the wave signal.     

The effects of mixing and spreading on density in near-field river plumes

Water mass modification in surface-trapped, near-field river plumes is examined using a 1.5-layer reduced gravity model and a three-dimensional numerical model. Solutions to the layer model are shown to be qualitatively similar to previous observations and three-dimensional simulations of near-field plumes. Analytic analysis of the layer model demonstrates how the near-field plume is controlled by the competing processes of mixing and spreading. The two models are then used to explore the parameter space dependence of density changes within the near-field plume and their associated cross-shore length scales. Both the magnitude of density changes and their length scales are proportional to either estuarine discharge or fresh water discharge; density changes are also inversely proportional to the estuary mouth width. One surprising feature of the parameter space solutions is that the density of water exiting the near-field plume, a measure of the net dilution of the entire near-field plume, is shown to be inversely proportional to local mixing rates. This is because when local mixing is lower, the influence of plume spreading becomes greater; this spreading accelerates the plume, requiring more net mixing to bring the plume back to subcritical flow.     

Comparison of Wind-tunnel and Water-channel Simulations of Plume Dispersion through a Large Array of Obstacles with a Scaled Field Experiment

We report on measurements of the near-field dispersion of contaminant plumes in a large array of building-like obstacles at three scales; namely, at full-scale in a field experiment, at 1:50 scale in a wind-tunnel simulation, and at 1:205 scale in a water-channel simulation. Plume concentration statistics extracted from the physical modelling in the wind-tunnel and water-channel simulations are compared to those obtained from a field experiment. The modification of the detailed structure of the plume as it interacts with the obstacles is investigated. To this purpose, measurements of the evolution of the mean concentration, concentration fluctuation intensity, concentration probability density function, and integral time scale of concentration fluctuations in the array plume obtained from the field experiment and the scaled wind-tunnel and water-channel experiments are reported and compared, as well as measurements of upwind and within-array velocity spectra. Generally, the wind-tunnel and water-channel results on the modification of the detailed plume structure by the obstacles were qualitatively similar to those observed in the field experiments. However, with the appropriate scaling, the water-channel simulations were able to reproduce quantitatively the results of the full-scale field experiments better than the wind-tunnel simulations.     

Oceanographic features of Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound in Summer

Abstract

We present evidence of previously unresolved oceanographic features in Queen Charlotte Sound and Hecate Strait using data collected in the summer of 1990 and interpreted using a three‐dimensional, finite‐element diagnostic numerical model for two separate simulations: baroclinic flow without wind‐forcing and barotropic flow with wind‐forcing. Features include a strong, prevailing southward flow along the east coast of Moresby and Kunghit Islands, clockwise circulation around the edge of Middle Bank and a cold‐water plume flowing from the shallows at the north end of Aristazabal Island toward the south and through the trough between Middle Bank and Goose Island Bank A persistent (near‐surface) outflow into the Pacific Ocean is found near the surface within 20 km of Cape St. James at the southern tip of the Queen Charlotte Islands and intermittent surface outflows are observed across the mouth of Queen Charlotte Sound. In central Hecate Strait, to the north of Middle Bank, prevailing along‐strait currents are weak and there is an east‐west interleaving of two water masses: warm water from the west side of the strait and cold water from the east side.