Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Influence Of The Summer Thermocline On Estuarine Classification In The Chesapeake Bay Entrance, William G. Weiss Jr.

OES Theses and Dissertations

The temperature, salinity, and sigma-t of 397 oceanographic stations taken in the entrance to Chesapeake Bay were plotted using a simple interpolation formula by the lBM 1130 computer. Each station was catalogued by position, tidal stage, season, and estuarine classification. Results indicated increased stratification during the ebb phase of all entrance stations regardless of season. Partially mixed conditions predominate. The influence of the summer thermocline on the stratification caused a slight increase in the summer stratification mean. However, statistical tests showed this summer increase to be insignificant at the 95% level. Detailed classification of tidal stage by estuarine type for …