Pollutant transfer and sediment dispersal in the Washington-Oregon coastal zone. Progress report, 1 February 1981-31 January 1982
- comp.
Research during the period 1 February 1981 to 31 January 1982 has: (1) shown that the fluctuating particle distributions in and near Quinault Canyon are primarily controlled advectively at all frequencies; (2) shown that during the mild winter of 1980, near-bottom flow in Quinault Canyon was up-canyon rather than down canyon as expected, with the result that the bottom nepheloid layer was absent and little sediment was moved from the shelf into the canyon; (3) successfully implemented an experiment to study the relationship among wind, current, nutrient, and biomass distributions during coastal upwelling; (4) shown that freely propagating waves do not make an important contribution to the current fluctuations on the Pacific Northwest continental shelf during winter and spring; (5) shown that the anomalously strong equatorward flow observed during spring is a result of the seasonal alongshore slope in sea level, with the sea surface lower toward the equator; (6) shown that the summer poleward undercurrent over the continental shelf and slope is caused by an equatorward wind stress applied to a sea surface that slopes up toward the equator; (7) shown that the alongshore sea surface slope changes on several day time scales in response to applied wind stress and that the pressure gradient force generated by the resulting sea surface slope plays a vital role in the local balance of momentum in the Pacific Northwest;(8) made direct measurements of fecal pellet density for pellets produced by a polychaeta found at shelf and bathyl depths on the West Coast, using a technique that minimizes osmotic pressure differences; (9) obtained the first realistic measurements of microbial breakdown rate for benthos fecal pellets; and (10) made a careful analysis of the values of von Karman's constant.
- Research Organization:
- Washington Univ., Seattle (USA). Dept. of Oceanography
- DOE Contract Number:
- AT06-76EV71025
- OSTI ID:
- 5235285
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/EV/71025-48; RLO-2225-TA25-48; ON: DE82013704
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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CONTINENTAL SHELF
OCEANOGRAPHY
OREGON
COASTAL WATERS
WASHINGTON
BENTHOS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FECES
PACIFIC OCEAN
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SEDIMENTS
WATER CURRENTS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL WASTES
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
CURRENTS
FEDERAL REGION X
MASS TRANSFER
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NORTH AMERICA
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
WASTES
580500* - Oceanography- (1980-1989)