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ANALYSIS OF WIND‐ AND SHIP‐INDUCED SEDIMENT RESUSPENSION IN DULUTH‐SUPERIOR HARBOR 1
Author(s) -
Erdmann John B.,
Stefan Heinz G.,
Brezonik Patrick L.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1994.tb03351.x
Subject(s) - settling , fetch , stratification (seeds) , suspended solids , environmental science , wind speed , hydrology (agriculture) , water column , sediment , geology , oceanography , water quality , atmospheric sciences , geomorphology , environmental engineering , geotechnical engineering , seed dormancy , ecology , botany , germination , dormancy , wastewater , biology
Suspended solids and ammonium concentration profiles measured at five locations in Duluth‐Superior Harbor during July‐October 1985 were analyzed to quantify wind and ship effects on sediment resuspension and resulting harbor water quality. Wind components from the SE quadrant correlated strongly with depth‐averaged suspended solids concentrations that were unaffected by ship passage or thermal stratification. Winds from that quadrant have the largest fetch in the harbor. The highest correlation (r 2 = 0.93) was with the 6‐hour average of the ESE wind velocity component. Multiple linear regression analysis of data from post‐ship passage concentration profiles yielded numerical estimates of settling velocities of 0.08 to 0.25 cm s −1 , typical of ship‐resuspended sediments, and vertical eddy diffusivities of 4 to 13 cm 2 s 1 . The results suggest that ambient vertical eddy diffusivities in the harbor are less than 4 cm 2 s −1 in the absence of ship passages and with winds less than 5 m s −1 (10 knots).