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SOME OBSERVATIONS OF TURBIDITY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA INLETS 1
Author(s) -
Pickard G. L.,
Giovando L. F.
Publication year - 1960
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1960.5.2.0162
Subject(s) - turbidity , inlet , turbidite , environmental science , turbidity current , hydrology (agriculture) , range (aeronautics) , atmospheric sciences , oceanography , geology , materials science , geomorphology , sediment , geotechnical engineering , sedimentary depositional environment , structural basin , composite material
Measurements have been made by a light scattering method of the optical turbidity of the waters in some typical British Columbia inlets with depths to 700 m. (The optical turbidity here used is the extinction coefficient or fractional reduction in light intensity per meter length due to scattering.) The major contribution to the turbidity in the large inlets is the minerogenic material brought in by rivers. Therefore those inlets with rivers originating in glaciers exhibit the highest turbidity values and there is a marked seasonal variation. In the surface layers, values recorded for turbidity range from 0.2 m −1 in winter to 35m −1 in summer with a marked decrease from head to mouth of the inlet. The main body of water in an inlet is usually fairly uniform in turbidity at 0.1 to 2m −1 . (For comparison, double distilled water has a turbidity of 0.024m −1 for light of wavelength 5460 a in air.) Particle sizes average about 20 µ diameter in summer and 8 µ in winter, with little material less than 2 µ in diameter. An increase in turbidity near the bottom is common and may be due to tidal currents but evidence suggests that turbidity currents originating at the inlet head may be common and contribute to the bottom water turbidity.