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DENSITY CURRENT INTRUSIONS IN AN ICE‐COVERED URBAN LAKE 1
Author(s) -
Ellis Christopher R.,
Champlin Jerry,
Stefan Heinz G.
Publication year - 1997
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.1752-1688.1997.tb03559.x
Subject(s) - snowmelt , hydrology (agriculture) , surface runoff , salinity , current (fluid) , environmental science , watershed , spring (device) , littoral zone , geology , oceanography , ecology , mechanical engineering , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , computer science , engineering , biology
Evidence is presented that snowmelt runoff from an urban watershed can produce density current intrusions (underflows) in a lake. Several episodes of density current intrusions are documented. Water temperatures and salinities measured near the bottom of a 10 m deep Minneapolis lake during the late winter warming periods in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1995 show significant rapid changes which are correlated with observed higher air temperatures and snowmelt runoff. The snowmelt runoff entering this particular lake (Ryan Lake) has increased electrical conductivity, salinity, and density. The source of the salinity is the salt spread on urban streets in the winter. Heating of littoral waters in spring may also contribute to the occurrence of the sinking flows, but is clearly not the only cause.