The Long-Term Residual Circulation in Long Island Sound

Current meter data were acquired in Long Island Sound over a period of about 6 mo in 1988 at six different transects. The averages of the low-passed residuals represent the contributions from tidal steering and density forcing. It is found that the long-term residual circulation starts out with a cl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Estuaries 2000-04, Vol.23 (2), p.199-207
Main Author: VIEIRA, M. E. C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic ecosystems
Basins
Bathymetry
Coastal oceanography, estuaries. Regional oceanography
Earth, ocean, space
Estuaries
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Fresh water
Gyres
Marine
Ocean currents
Physics of the oceans
River water
Rivers
Sea water
Shoals
Straits
USA, Long Island Sound
Water pollution
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Summary:Current meter data were acquired in Long Island Sound over a period of about 6 mo in 1988 at six different transects. The averages of the low-passed residuals represent the contributions from tidal steering and density forcing. It is found that the long-term residual circulation starts out with a classical estuarine pattern at the Race. The flows into and out of the Sound are vertically partitioned by Long Sand Shoal; they gradually rever back to classical vertically layered estuarine circulation as the Central Basin is traversed. Further west, the bottom oceanic water becomes a westward flowing swift jet close to the Connecticut shore, while the East River water is constrained to flow eastward along the Long Island coast. Counterclockwise gyres, identified in the Eastern Narrows and Western Basin, may increase residence times of polluted East River water in the western Long Island Sound.
ISSN:0160-8347
1559-2723
1559-2758
1559-2731
DOI:10.2307/1352827