Physical processes driving high-speed currents in Lake Champlain bottom water
- GLERL, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
- Middlebury Coll., VT (United States). Geology Dept.
The authors have examined current velocity profiles obtained at two sites in Lake Champlain to delineate physical processes causing high-speed currents near the lake bottom. Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP's) were deployed during the interval June--October, 1992 at mid-lake sites near Thompson's Point and Valcour Island. The instruments measured horizontal current velocity at 1 m intervals through the water column. The ADCP measurement range covered 74% of the water depth at the Valcour Island site and 49% at Thompson's Point site. The deepest measurement level at the Valcour Island site was 9 m above the lake floor. Two phenomena causing intense bottom currents at Valcour Island were identified in the data sets. One occurred during the relatively weak density stratification of the early summer period. It was caused by a downwelled thermocline at Valcour which was associated with impulses of northward-directed wind stress. On three occasions the wind stress was large enough to propel essentially all hypolimnion water south of Valcour Island. After these downwellings the lower layer returned as a steeply-faced internal surge with high-speed, turbulent flow at its leading edge. The second process forcing high-speed bottom currents was related to large-amplitude internal seiches that dominated Lake Champlain's main basin during September and October. Amplitudes of the seiches approached several tens of meters; their persistence suggests near-resonant wind forcing as a generating mechanism. Currents at the deepest measurement level exceeded 30 cm/s over duration's of 12 or more hours. Periods of the internal seiches were observed to vary with the intensity of stratification and with seasonal thermocline depth as predicted by first principles governing internal wave propagation.
- OSTI ID:
- 5596400
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9303211-; CODEN: GAAPBC
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:2; Conference: 28. annual Geological Society of America (GSA) Northeastern Section meeting, Burlington, VT (United States), 22-24 Mar 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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58 GEOSCIENCES
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MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
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