A description of water masses in Nootka Sound and estimation of diffusivity and upward velocity in Muchalat Inlet using temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen

Senior thesis written for Oceanography 445

[author abstract] Nootka Sound is a rarely studied fjord estuary on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. Using CTD and UCTD casts, water property data was collected from the entrance sill, main basin, and through the three inlets in the sound. Temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen data were used to identify water masses. Temperature and salinity data collected from two different transects through Muchalat Inlet allowed the calculation of diffusivity and vertical velocities in this inlet. Our results show evidence for temperature advection, with estimated ranging from 2.8 x 10-5 to 4.5 x 10-5 m2s-1 and a localized downwelling event, with estimated w of -5.4 x 10-6 m2s-1 to -2.0 x 10-5.

University of Washington School of Oceanography