Shelf-fjord exchange of the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Abstract

The paper deals with the circulation in a deep silled fjord that is forced by processes occurring in the adjacent fjords was recognised early on, but it is only with the last 12 years that this interaction has received increased attention. For the Norwegian fjords, Gade (1976), Svendsen (1977, 1980) and Helle (1978) to name a few, have indicated and reported on the coupling between the offshore density fluctuations and water exchanges in the adjacent fjords, as have Muench and Heggie (1978) for the Alaskan subarctic fjords and Holbrook et al., (1980) for the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In particular, it is the above sill level or intermediate water exchanges that are the subject of this contribution. The investigation of the interaction between a fjord and the adjacent coastal sea was made possible because of a concurrent study of the coastal ocean dynamics on the continental shelf off the west coast of Vancouver Island during the period from January 1979 to June 1981. (from paper)