A description of summer physical oceanographic conditions in Rupert Bay (James Bay, Canada)

Abstract

Measurements of current velocity, temperature, salinity, and water level were made over a period of two months. From an analysis of the current meter time series, the circulation and distribution of physical properties were found to be dominated by the tides, with the semi-diurnal component being the predominant component. Long-term mean circulation was directed out of the bay. Non-tidal water level variations were well correlated with the wind. The centrifugal force, Coriolis force, and baroclinic pressure gradient were dominant forces driving the secondary flows of the bay. Tidal fronts were found to be either aligned parallel to the main axes of principal channels or around small downstream islands with the arrangement influenced by bottom topography. -from Authors