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Study of the density structure and water flow in the upper 10 m. of a selected region in Bute Inlet, British Columbia.

University of British Columbia

An intense pycnocline at about 4 m. depth existed in Bute Inlet in August, 1967. This corresponded to the largest observed fresh water runoff into the head of the inlet. A major pycnocline above 10 m. depth was not observed in January, 1968, corresponding to small fresh water runoff. Correlating information derived from near-surface transverse and longitudinal sigma-t sections and drift pole plots with wind and tide data, the curvature of the inlet's lateral boundaries was found to influence the disposition of fresh water in any given transverse section. The direction of the surface layer flow was best related to the wind direction except in cases of high runoff when the wind only modulated the speed of outflow. The tide had remarkably little effect. Distinct changes in depth of the pycnocline along inlet were observed.Suggestions for future experiments are presented.

Text

2011-06-21

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/35644

Oceanography

University of British Columbia

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