Summary of the Physical Oceanographic Pocesses and Features Pertinent to Pollution Distribution in the Coastal and Offshore Waters of the Northeastern United States, Virginia to Maine

摘要

Physical processes and features influencing the distribution and fate of pollutants in the coastal and offshore waters of the northeastern United States are identified and described. The general physical oceanographic setting of this portion of the North Atlantic is briefly presented before identifying the following relevant features and processes: estuarine effluent plumes, upwelling, warm core rings and Gulf Stream meanders, fronts, density stratification, the cold pool, bottom currents, and sediment transport. In addition, field measurements of pollutant dispersion and quantitative models and physical processes also are discussed.