Estuarine Salt Patterns: “Classification” as seen in the real world PSO 2009

Well-Mixed Delaware Bay

Often Well-mixed Willapa Bay on the WA coast Huge Oyster industry

Partially Mixed Hudson River

Partially Mixed and Huge Chesapeake Bay River flow takes a year to fill

Chesapeake II Zhang, X., M. Roman, D. Kimmel, C. McGilliard, and W. Boicourt (2006), Spatial variability in plankton biomass and hydrographic variables along an axial transect in Chesapeake Bay, J. Geophys. Res., 111, C05S11, doi: /2005JC

Puget Sound Separate basins, often with shallower sills in between Some stagnant places, some rapidly exchanged Partially mixed and even bigger than Chesapeake Rivers take 5 years to fill 30’ 48°00’ 30’

Mixed Fjord Puget Sound

Highly-Stratified, and Frontal Snohomish River, Puget Sound in Whidbey Basin (2 nd largest river in the system)

Skagit River Rapidly Varying Yang, Z., Khangaonkar, T., Modeling tidal circulation and stratification in Skagit River estuary, Ocean Modell. (2008), doi: /j.ocemod Low Tide Flood Tide High Tide