Nearshore-offshore exchanges in multi-basin coastal waters: Observations and three-dimensional modeling in Lake Erie

Nearshore-offshore exchanges through upwelling events and subsequent formation of internal Kelvin waves and coastal-jets are expected in the multi-basin coastal waters of Lake Erie; however, these phenomena have yet to be confirmed in the field or numerically modeled. Here, we demonstrate these physical processes in Lake Erie through extensive field data analysis and high-resolution three-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling. The validated model successfully reproduces dominant physical processes in the offshore and nearshore waters including surface seiches (~14?h), near-inertial waves (~17?h) and upwelling events (5–10?days). We show that upwelling events are the predominant nearshore physical processes, and are energized when winds accelerate the epilimnetic waters to the south, causing the thermocline front to move up into the north shore. After the wind subsides, the elevated thermoclines simultaneously form two separate cyclonically propagating internal Kelvin waves in the central and the eastern basins following by two coastal-jets at phase speeds of 0.22?ms^?1 and 0.37?ms^?1 within 5–15?km off the shoreline, respectively. The predominant south-west winds limit the presence of Kelvin waves only to the northern parts of each basin, where the bathymetry allows, and disappear when shoreline morphology no longer maintain these waves due to nonzero cross-shore transports at the coastal boundary layer. Intrusions of hypolimnetic waters through upwelling events contribute 10–30% to the net cross-shore transport, and are most pronounced in May and June when the offshore thermocline is shallow. The intermittent strong westward nearshore currents by Kelvin waves are in the opposite direction of seasonal eastward currents.     

Episodic nearshore-offshore exchanges of hypoxic waters along the north shore of Lake Erie

We investigate the nearshore-offshore exchange of hypoxic waters during episodic coastal upwelling events in the nearshore waters of northern Lake Erie using intensive field observations and a validated hydrodynamic and water quality model. We observe wind-induced coastal upwelling events to be the dominant nearshore physical process in the lake which are energized every 5–10 days. When the winds were predominantly blowing from the west or south-west, epilimnetic waters were transported to the offshore bringing in hypolimnetic waters with low temperature (8–10 °C), dissolved oxygen (DO: 0–6 mg L^?1) and pH (6–7) to the nearshore zones. During these events, vertical diffusivity coefficients decreased from 10^?2 m² s^?1 to values as low as ~ 10^?7 m² s^?1. In late summer, the coastal upwelling events in the nearshore waters lower the near bottom DO to hypoxic levels (DO < 2 mg L^?1). Lake-wide observations of DO and pH show that they are positively and linearly correlated while in the nearshore DO and pH experience spatial and temporal variability where upwelling events were developed, which were further assessed using a three-dimensional model. The model accuracy to reproduce offshore hypoxia was first assessed on a lake-wide basis using a coarse resolution model for a five-year period (2008–2012) and in nearshore waters using a higher resolution model for 2013. We use the model results to delineate the near bottom areas experiencing hypoxia at time scales longer than 48 h.     

长江河口涨潮槽泥沙运动规律

30年来，在对涨潮槽性质和水沙条件有所了解的基础上，于2001年洪季和2003年枯季又一次对长江口新桥水道和南小泓两条典型涨潮槽及与其相邻的南支和南港主槽(落潮槽)的水流、泥沙和河床沉积物进行观测，并进行了专题研究。结果表明：潮流历时涨潮比落潮短；潮流和单宽潮量涨潮比落潮大，优势流小于50％，净水流向槽顶方向：涨潮含沙量、单宽输沙量大于落潮，优势沙小于50％，净输沙向槽顶方向；悬沙粒径组成较细，河床泥沙粒径组成较粗，河床存在推移质泥沙运动，并形成微地貌沙波。     

Storm water events in a small agricultural watershed: Characterization and evaluation of improvements in stream water microbiology following implementation of Best Management Practices

Both storm water event and nonevent flow contributed to the annual discharge from Graywood Gully, a small sub-watershed of Conesus Lake, New York USA, whose land use is 74% agriculture. While events contributed significant amounts of water in short periods of time, nonevents accounted for the majority of water on a yearly basis and could have flow rates matching those that occurred during events. Event storm water was elevated in materials associated with particulates such as total suspended solids, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Water from high flow nonevents was elevated in soluble components such as sodium, nitrate, and soluble reactive phosphorus. As a result, events contributed the majority of particulates to the yearly loading from Graywood Gully whereas nonevents contributed the majority of soluble materials. The levels of total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, and total heterotrophic bacteria were elevated in storm water relative to nonevent flow, indicating that they acted as particulates. The median level of E. coli in nonevents was 200 CFU/100 mL whereas the median level during events was 3660 CFU/100 mL. Consequently, storm events accounted for 92% of all E. coli loading from Graywood Gully. Best Management Practices (BMPs) resulted in the mean, median, maximum and minimum levels of event-driven E. coli loading from Graywood Gully to decrease 10 fold over a 5-year period. The implementation of BMPs in the Graywood Gully watershed has improved the microbiology of event waters and consequently decreased the role that the watershed plays as a contributor of microbial pollution to Conesus Lake.     

The Effect of Suspended Solids Loading from the Linthipe River on Light in Lake Malawi

Increasing land use pressure has resulted in increasing suspended solids loading to many African lakes in recent decades, causing concern that littoral habitat may be degraded by sedimentation and light limitation. In a companion paper in this issue, we showed that much runoff into Lake Malawi plunges below the euphotic zone and spreads through the lake via the upper metalimnion, thus mitigating nearshore and upper water column impacts. In this study we use data from multiple surveys through two rainy seasons to describe spatio-temporal distributions of suspended solids concentration (SSC) and transparency caused by the flow of runoff through the Linthipe River delta region of Lake Malawi. SSC in interflow at 30–50 m depth was typically an order of magnitude greater than in surface plumes. Seasonal median transparency near the river mouth was inversely proportional to the suspended load in surface-buoyant inflow, but independent of total loading. This is because storm runoff was more dense (cooler and with higher SSC) than runoff during low-flow periods, so that it was more likely to plunge. The effect was to moderate inter-annual variability in light attenuation near the river mouth because transparency was lower (due to more surface-buoyant inflow of turbid water) in the year when solar irradiance was higher (less cloud cover). The effect was, however, local. Beyond a few kilometers of the river mouth upward mixing of suspended particles carried in interflow reasserted the more intuitive inverse dependence of transparency on total loading.     

Nearshore-offshore exchanges by enhanced turbulent mixing along the north shore of Lake Ontario

Seasonal nearshore-offshore exchanges by coastal upwelling events in large lakes can play a significant role in nearshore nutrient dynamics, affecting lake productivity and water quality. We analyzed field observations along the north shore of Lake Ontario, collected in the summer of 2018, focusing on the littoral zone and specifically the Cladophora habitat zone (<15 m), to investigate episodic enhanced vertical mixing by coastal up/downwelling events. Vertical turbulent diffusivity (K_z) based on the buoyancy Reynolds number above the metalimnion layer during downwelling events was generally higher than those below the metalimnion layer during upwelling events; while K_z at the metalimnion layer can increase by ∼ two orders of magnitude during upwelling events. Our results suggest that K_z based on the Richardson number parameterization, which only accounts for large-scale current shear and stability, and incorporates an adjustable parameter is ∼ ten times higher than the K_z based on the buoyancy Reynolds number. Analysis of historical wind records indicates that the frequency of coastal upwelling favorable winds on the north shore of Lake Ontario has increased by > 45% over the last thirty years - suggesting an increasing trend of nearshore-offshore nutrient exchanges as a contributing factor for the nearshore water quality management.     

On hypoxia and fish kills along the north shore of Lake Erie

Hypoxia is a common feature in the offshore central basin of Lake Erie. In the late summer of 2012, a strong wind-induced upwelling event transported oxygen depleted water to the nearshore zones of northern Lake Erie. Wind speed, duration and direction relative to the shoreline of individual wind events determined the extent of nearshore zone affected by the hypoxic waters. The upwelling event resulted in adverse water quality along some stretches of the northern shoreline of Lake Erie with persistent anoxia, which was mainly responsible for the mortality of fish.     

Iron cycling in a littoral freshwater beach: Implications for floc trace metal dynamics

This field-based study demonstrates that highly dynamic trace metal (Ag, Co, Cu and Pb) behavior in suspended floc and the sediment surface fine-grained lamina (SFGL) is linked specifically to Fe mineral cycling between these two compartments driven by rapidly fluctuating energy regimes in a shallow, littoral beach of Lake Ontario. Results reveal distinct, Fe mineral controls on trace metal sequestration patterns under quiescent conditions. Higher metal sequestration occurred in floc associated with amorphous Fe oxyhydroxides (FeOOH), while less reactive crystalline Fe oxides (FeOx) dominated bed metal sequestration. Spatial shifts in energy regime governing floc settling and sediment erosion controlled the mixing of FeOOH and FeOx, resulting in discernible, hydrodynamic-dependent floc and SFGL trace metal associations. Low turbulence offshore limited compartment mixing, resulting in enrichment of FeOOH and metals in floc and SFGL over bulk bed sediments. In contrast, higher turbulence nearshore increased bed erosion resulting in less distinct floc and SFGL-FeOOH/metal abundances and partitioning. Diurnal shifts in energy regime impacting floc and SFGL geochemistry were observed nearshore. Accumulation of FeOOH and trace metals occurred in the SFGL under calm morning conditions, while diurnal wind-induced waves rapidly re-cycled the SFGL back into the overlying water-column. Post mixing, re-suspended FeOOH and smaller floc particulates entrained within a higher photosynthetically-induced pH water-column increased overall floc trace metal uptake. Taken together, these findings demonstrate highly dynamic linkages between energy regime and physico-chemistry impacted Fe mineral cycling resulting in observable compartment-specific trace metal partitioning patterns for littoral floc and surficial sediments in beach environments.     

Near-Bottom Currents and Suspended Sediment Concentration in Southeastern Lake Michigan

In a study of sediment transport at the edge of the coastal shelf (28 m depth) in southeastern Lake Michigan we used an instrumented tripod to make continuous observations of horizontal current velocity, temperature, and turbidity within 1 meter of the bottom for 4 weeks during October 1981. The concentration of total suspended material (TSM) 0.9 m above the bottom varied from 1 to 5 mg/L in response to coastal upwelling, surface waves, and currents that exceeded 0.28 m/s (0.7 m above the bottom) on occasion. Advection of the Grand River plume also contributed significantly to the variations in the observed TSM concentration. Currents near the bottom were well correlated with surface winds and, although upwelling currents transported sediment upslope, the net horizontal sediment flux during the period of observation was west-southwestward, almost directly offshore. The magnitude of the horizontal sediment flux was approximately 1,000 times the magnitude of the vertical flux estimated from sediment traps deployed as part of earlier studies. We infer that local resuspension occurred roughly 20 percent of the time and the critical mean flow speed (at 0.7 m) for resuspension of the local silty sands was estimated to be about 0.18 m/s.     

Rapid response of the nearshore round goby population to temperature declines associated with upwelling events in Lake Ontario

Upwellings occur in all the Great Lakes in response to prolonged wind events. Several studies have modeled or measured changes in abiotic conditions associated with upwellings, but few direct observations of fish responses have been documented. Video-capture techniques were used in conjunction with moored temperature loggers to link the disappearance of benthic round gobies to temperature declines during upwelling events along the southern Lake Ontario nearshore in summer of 2019. Benthic water temperatures declined by as much as 18 °C within 18 h over as many as nine events. Round goby density estimates were as high as 50/m² prior to upwellings, but declined to as low as 0/m² during the events. Using just nine observation dates, ARMA trend analysis suggested a relationship between benthic temperature and round goby abundance (AIC = 78.7, t = 2.21, P = 0.063). Although the actual response of gobies to rapidly declining temperatures was unknown, this population was unobservable in our sample area during upwellings, yet returned to pre-upwelling densities within days. Understanding the magnitude and frequency of fish responses to these events can improve our understanding of the potential for this non-native benthic fish to affect the nearshore environment.     

Characteristics of nearshore water quality of Lake Ontario coast under Credit Valley Conservation Jurisdiction,Ontario, Canada

The 28.5 km Lake Ontario shoreline along Credit Valley Conservation’s jurisdiction is habitat for native flora and fauna, the source of drinking water for over two million residents, and the location of outfalls for Region of Peel’s two wastewater treatment plants. Some of the significant sources of pollutants to this region are urban tributaries and the Credit River. Instream, shoreside, and nearshore water quality of this region were characterized under this Lake Ontario Integrated Shoreline Strategy study. Eight Parameters of Concern (PoC); water temperature (WT), total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorous (TP), orthophosphate (OP), nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N), Escherichia coli (E. coli), specific conductivity (SC), and pH were studied from 2011 to 2013. Amongst all the PoCs TP was of concern since its instream (75th percentile range: 51.0 µg/L to 188 µg/L), shoreside (75th percentile range: 9.00 µg/L to 53.75 µg/L), and nearshore (75th percentile range: 9.75 µg/L to 19.00 µg/L) concentrations, exceeded their respective objectives of 30 µg/L and 10 µg/L. Other parameters in shoreside/nearshore samples met their respective provincial/federal objectives/guidelines; however, instream E. coli and specific conductivity levels were elevated, reflecting the effects of urbanization. The Lake water temperature moorings recorded lake stratification dynamics, including eight downwelling and five upwelling events during 2011 deployment period. These results provide baseline data for future climate change-related assessment studies.     

Classifying and Forecasting Coastal Upwellings in Lake Michigan Using Satellite Derived Temperature Images and Buoy Data

Coastal upwellings are common in the Great Lakes but have lacked enumeration and systematic classification of spatial extent, frequency, duration, and magnitude. Near real-time sea surface temperature (SST) images derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) provide indices of upwelling events, but visual inspection of daily images can be tedious. Moreover, the definition of what constitutes an upwelling from AVHRR data is subjective. We developed a semi-automated method to classify upwellings during the period of thermal stratification using daily, cloud-free surface temperature charts from AVHRR SST data. Then we statistically evaluated the location, frequency, magnitude, extent, and duration of upwelling events in Lake Michigan from 1992–2000. Further, we analyzed meteorological data from the National Data Buoy Center buoys in an attempt to improve the reliability of the classification and to provide a means for future forecast of coastal upwelling. Although variable, upwelling events along the western shoreline were preceded by 4 days of southerly and west-to-northwesterly winds, while upwelling events occurring along the eastern shore were preceded by 4 days of northerly winds. Probability of an upwelling event occurring was a function of the direction-weighted wind speed, reaching a 100% probability at direction weighted wind speeds of 11 m s⁻¹ for the western shore. Probability of an upwelling occurrence along the east coast reached 73% at 11 m s⁻¹ and 100% at 13 m s⁻¹. Continuous measurements of wind data with a sufficient temporal resolution are required during the entire upwelling season to improve the predictability of upwellings.     

Fine-scale nutrient enrichment and water quality on the rural shores of Southeast Lake Huron

Recently, there has been public concern that water quality in the nearshore of Southeast Lake Huron has been deteriorating, inferred partly from fouling of shoreline by algae. In 2010, fine-scale patterns in nutrient concentrations and other water quality features were examined to better understand the influence of the adjacent land on the nearshore environment in the region. Surveys at two areas of coastline were conducted over a seasonal cycle. Monitoring of water quality in tributaries to the study areas indicated that water of poor quality was periodically discharged to the lake as indicated by elevated levels of nutrients, fecal indicator bacteria, suspended solids and chloride. The extent of the nearshore that was directly influenced by land runoff was small, restricted to the shoreline fringe, relative to the broader nearshore. Pulse-like inputs of phosphorus from wave-induced erosional events and periods of precipitation-related runoff, both characterized by high levels of particle-bound phosphorus, contributed to highly dynamic and spatially variable levels of total phosphorus (TP), and proportions of TP in dissolved form, in the nearshore. The proportion of TP associated with particulate material was strongly correlated with lake depth. Phosphorus distributions in the nearshore indicate contrasting conditions with proximity to shoreline. Land runoff enriches nutrient levels along sections of the immediate shoreline, which contrasts sharply with the ultraoligotrophic conditions in the broader nearshore. The nearshore of Lake Huron arguably has always been highly sensitive to phosphorus pollution and it appears likely that the shoreline may be even more so today.     

Spatiotemporal trends of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in surface and suspended sediments from the Lake Ontario Canadian nearshore 1994–2018: A fish consumption advisory perspective

Spatiotemporal trends for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were examined in surface and suspended sediments collected between 1994 and 2018 from over twenty nearshore stations on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. In 2018, PCB concentrations ranged over an order-of-magnitude in surface (<10 ng/g?357 ng/g) and suspended sediments (<10 ng/g–330 ng/g), illustrating the presence of legacy hotspots as well as diffuse urban inputs. PCB concentrations in both surface and suspended sediments were consistently highest in Hamilton Harbour, but were also elevated at other stations around the perimeter of the Niagara basin as well as near Trenton and Kingston, Ontario. Generally, higher PCB concentrations were found in surface sediment relative to paired suspended sediment samples suggesting temporal improvements in nearshore sediment quality. However, many stations demonstrated temporal variability in PCB concentrations, a likely factor in the lack of an overall nearshore declining trend. Given that PCBs are listed as a consumption-limiting contaminant for all fish sampling blocks in the Canadian waters of Lake Ontario and are responsible for 78% of restricted advisories, sediment quality benchmarks that account for bioaccumulation potential should be considered over toxicologically-derived guidelines to gauge severity of PCB contamination of nearshore sediments. Relatively higher TOC-normalized PCB concentrations in the western end of Lake Ontario suggests additional research on PCB bioavailability from nearshore sediment would be beneficial in understanding basinwide trends of PCBs in fish, and that an adaptive approach to sediment management may be needed in the context of consumption advisories.     

基于有限体积法的三维波生近岸流数值模型

波浪破碎产生近岸流是近岸浅水区域一个重要的水动力现象。该文利用辐射应力的概念,并考虑辐射应力沿水深的变化、波浪破碎引起的水滚以及波流共同作用下的水底剪应力,建立了基于有限体积法的三维波生近岸流数值模型。运用建立的数值模型模拟了两个实验室实验,并同实验的实测结果进行了对比。结果表明,建立的数值模型能够较好地模拟波浪破碎产生的近岸流。     

Effect of Ageing of Pipe and Lining Materials on Elemental Composition of Suspended Particles in a Water Distribution System

Water samples collected from a drinking water supply system were assessed for elemental composition (Al, Si, Ca, Mn, Fe and Zn) of suspended particles. Particulate Fe, Mn and Al concentrations were significantly correlated even though their origins are considered to be different. The results of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis revealed that elemental compositions can vary according to pipe and lining materials and service ages. Differences in concentrations of the particulate elements were calculated between upstream and downstream sites and then subjected to further PCA. In PC1, Fe, Mn and Al exhibited high factor loadings, whereas only Ca was a high contributor for PC2. This implies that ageing-related corrosion and degradation of mortar lining can affect the elemental composition of suspended particles in water distribution systems. We concluded that the elemental composition of suspended particulates can be used to detect ageing pipes in water distribution systems.     

Physical Processes Controlling Taste and Odor Episodes in Lake Ontario Drinking Water

Circulation and thermal structure of the coastal waters were studied as a part of an interdisciplinary program to investigate the taste and odor problem in drinking water along the north and western shores of Lake Ontario. The currents and temperature variations were found to be strongly linked to winds, with winds from the west causing upwelling and eastward flowing currents, and winds from the east inducing downwelling and warm westward flowing currents. The downwelling along the north shore during late August and early September of 2000 was associated with a pulse in concentration of the taste and odor causing compound geosmin. This study indicates that during this episode the onshore directed mean currents and cross-shore fluxes in the surface layer transported geosmin to the coastal waters of the north shore.     

Seasonal variation in the influence of environmental drivers on nearshore water quality along an urban northern Lake Ontario shoreline

We examined drivers of water quality during 2007–2013 in a region of Lake Ontario influenced by various anthropogenic inputs and natural influences. Nutrient concentrations generally declined from shoreline to offshore, with mean concentrations approaching background after 1 km from shore. N species were an exception to this overall pattern, often with higher concentrations coincident with a mid-nearshore Water Pollution Control Plant outfall (WPCPo). The WPCPo, however, did not appear to be a major contributor to shoreline total phosphorus (TP) or ammonia + ammonium. Shoreline TP variability increased in dry years, while E. coli and conductivity variability increased in wet years. The influence of environmental drivers on water quality differed seasonally. In summer, cross-shore winds causing resuspension appeared to be drivers of elevated nearshore TP and suspended solids (SS), while precipitation, light, and water column stability were related to E. coli. Summer biological activity was evident in higher shoreline total Kjeldhal N contributions and lower NO₃ + NO₂ and dissolved inorganic N. In fall and spring, TP, SS, and conductivity were elevated within 400 m of the shore, suggesting tributary inputs were an important P delivery mechanism to the nearshore in addition to spring resuspension events. Fall, however, represented a transitional period representing a shift from drivers dominant in summer to those in spring. The analytical approach used here reveals generalizable patterns in nearshore water quality and their drivers and may be applicable to other regions where there is a confluence of varying drivers of water quality to a nearshore region.     

Algal-Available Particulate Phosphorus in the Great Lakes Basin

For the purpose of comparing the relative availability of particulate phosphorus (P) from various sources to the Great Lakes, algal-available P was determined on suspended solids and bottom sediments from tributaries, wastewater suspended solids, lake bottom sediments, and eroding bluff solids from the region. Physicochemical and bioassay methods were used to estimate the rate and extent of available P release from particulates. Considering all types of particulates examined, ultimately available P ranged from nil to approximately 70 percent of total phosphorus (Total-P) content. During algal bioassays, changes in levels of base-extractable inorganic P (R-NaOH-P) in tributary suspended solids were nearly equivalent to the amounts of P used by algae during bioassays. For the tributary solids, ultimately available P averaged approximately 90 percent of R-NAOH-P. Consistent differences were found in amounts of available P among particles from different sources. Sources of particle-bound P ranked in order of decreasing availability were: wastewater solids, lake bottom sediments, tributary solids, and eroding bluff solids. Differences in available P release rates also existed among the different types of particles. Wastewater solids displayed the largest first-order release rates, eroding bluff samples and tributary-suspended solid samples that were high in apatite showed essentially no available P release, while other tributary suspended solids displayed intermediate release rates.     

Inorganic Chemistry of Particulate Matter from the Nearshore Zone of Lake Michigan

Particulate matter from a nearshore region of southeastern Lake Michigan serves as a sink for trace metals and a conveyor of trace metals to the sediments. Fe, K, Mg, and Mn are always more concentrated in the hypolimnion than in the epilimnion, and Ca, Cr, Cu, Na, Sr, Zn, and total P are generally more concentrated in the hypolimnion than in the epilimnion. Enrichment of these metals in the hypolimnion particulates is attributed to sediment resuspension. Comparison of trace metal concentrations in the particulates with those in phytoplankton and zooplankton indicates that the plankton are not a significant contributor to the trace metal particulate chemistry of this nearshore region. Significant fractions (33% to nearly 100%) of total Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn concentrations in the water column are associated with particulates.During the warmer months, calcium carbonate precipitates. Particulate chemistry changes little with the CaCO₃ formation, with the exception of an increased amount of calcium. Variations in the concentrations of trace metals are controlled either by both dolomite and hydrated manganese oxides or by an unknown phase believed to be organic in nature.