| Abstract: | ABSTRACT: Suspended solids and ammonium concentration profiles measured at five locations in Duluth-Superior Harbor during July-October 1985 were analyzed to quantify wind and ship effects on sediment resuspension and resulting harbor water quality. Wind components from the SE quadrant correlated strongly with depth-averaged suspended solids concentrations that were unaffected by ship passage or thermal stratification. Winds from that quadrant have the largest fetch in the harbor. The highest correlation (r2= 0.93) was with the 6-hour average of the ESE wind velocity component. Multiple linear regression analysis of data from post-ship passage concentration profiles yielded numerical estimates of settling velocities of 0.08 to 0.25 cm s?1, typical of ship-resuspended sediments, and vertical eddy diffusivities of 4 to 13 cm2 s1. The results suggest that ambient vertical eddy diffusivities in the harbor are less than 4 cm2 s?1 in the absence of ship passages and with winds less than 5 m s?1 (10 knots). |
