Dynamics of Port Angeles Harbor and Approaches, Washington

摘要

Historical oceanographic data in Port Angeles Harbor, located behind a spit on the northern coast of Washington, have been analyzed with emphasis on the physical processes that transport and disperse spilled oil. The data base spans 1932-1979 and includes observations of tides, currents, winds, runoff, water properties, oil spills, suspended sediment, and pulp mill effluent. A hydraulic tidal model was used to provide additional continuity in space and time of tidal flows within the Harbor and several miles of the shore. The plan view of mean circulation near the surface in the approaches consists of westward flow at mid-channel and an eastward countercurrent within several miles of the U.S. shore. Experiments in the hydraulic tidal model and a 19-day current record suggest a tidally induced weak mean circulation eastward in the Harbor near the surface.