Hypolimnion Flow Between the Central and Eastern Basins of Lake Erie During 1977 (Interbasin Hypolimnion Flows)

The shallow central basin of Lake Erie (mean depth 19 m) is separated from the deeper eastern basin (mean depth 28.5 m) by the Pennsylvania Ridge which extends southward from the base of Long Point to Erie, Pennsylvania. The crest of the ridge lies at a depth of 15 m except for a narrow notch near Erie, Pennsylvania, where communication between the two basins extends to 24 m depth. Both basins are stratified in summer, and the thin (2 m) hypolimnion of the central basin becomes depleted of oxygen by late summer. Flows to the hypolimnion of the central basin from the mid thermocline water of the eastern basin have been thought to be important sources of dissolved oxygen to the central basin.Data from ship cruises and current meter moorings made in 1977 have been used to form an estimate of the hypolimnion flux across the sill area. A strong correlation between winds and mean flux is observed and the dynamic balance appears to be one where surface pressure gradient created by wind stress is opposed by internal pressure gradients and by bottom friction. While the total quantity of oxygen transported by the subsurface flow is significant in terms of the later summer oxygen consumption of the central basin hypolimnion, its effects are confined to the eastern half of that basin due to the relatively weak horizontal diffusion in the mid-basin hypolimnion.