A Drifter Study of the Lagrangian Mean Circulation of Delaware Bay and Adjacent Shelf Waters

摘要

To document the Lagrangian mean circulation of Delaware Bay and adjacent shelf waters, a series of nine deployments of surface and seabed current drifters was made. The presence of classical estuarine circulation in Delaware Bay can be inferred from maps of the apparent drifter trajectories. The seaward surface residual flow in the Bay is directed towards the Delaware shore, consistent with Coriolis effects, while the bottom residual flow moves upstream in the deep channels of the Bay and then spreads laterally onto the adjacent shallower areas on both sides. The estuarine circulation extends onto the adjacent shelf.