Pontoon Results

Contour Maps

A) Salinity contour

B) Temperature contour

C) Density contour

E) Water Direction contour

F) Fluorometry contour

D) Water Speed contour

Figures 1 A-F illustrate different properties and flow of the water column across a day including low tide. Data taken 27/06/2014 between 8:30 and 15:00 UTC. (Click individual graphs to enlarge).

For figure 1A, the salinity was found to be lowest at low tide (32.2) between 0-1m depths. The highest salinity of 37.8 was found near high tide between 14:00-15:00 UTC and at a depth of 1m. The salinity of the water steadily increased between low tide and high tide.

For figure 1B, the temperature then rapidly increased and is highest (18.9°C) between 12:00 and 13:30 UTC at a depth of 0-1m. The temperature was generally lower at high tide (17.9°C) than at a lower tide, except for the coolest temperature of 16.7°C is found at 1.5m depth at low tide.

For figure 1C, the lowest density of 22.5 kgm³ is found at low tide, at 12:00 UTC. The density then increased as the tide increased, with the higher densities being found at high tide (24.g kgm³). The density of the water was highest between 14:00 and 15:00 UTC around 0m depth. The density then rapidly decreased to a similar density (25 kgm³) as the surrounding water at 1m depth.

The data for figure 1D ranges from 08:00 UTC (high tide) to 15:00 UTC (high tide), with low tide occurring at 12:00 UTC. The greatest speeds of flow of 0.46 ms were found between 14:00 and 15:00 UTC, ranging from 1-4m depth. The speed of flow was also very high at 13:00 UTC at 0m depth. Generally the speed of flow was around 0.18 to 0.12 ms, with patches of lower flow speed between 09:00 to 11:30 UTC at 0-1m depth and at 13:00 UTC at 2m and 14:00 at 0m depth.

The data for figure 1E  shows that between 08:30 and 12:00 UTC, the direction of the flow was around 180°. The direction of flow was around 280° at 12:30 UTC between 0 and 1.5m depth and between 14:00 and 14:30 UTC at depths of 0, 1, 2 and 3m. The direction of the flow was 0° around 14:00 at 0-1.5m and 3-4m depth. The flow direction was also 0° at 15:00 UTC between 0 and 4m depth and at 13:00 UTC at 2m depth.

For figure 1F, fluorometry readings were lowest on the flooding tide between 12:30 and 13:00 with a reading of 0.68v and at 14:00 with the same reading. The highest reading was at the surface between 10:00 and 11:00 UTC. Generally, the fluorometer readings were lower on the ebb tide before low water than on the flooding tide after low water.

For the salinity, temperature, density, speed, direction , and fluorometry contour figures (figures 1a-e), the time ranges from high tide to low tide and back to high tide, over the period of 08:30 to 14:30 UTC, with low tide being at 11:47 UTC.

Time Series of Dissolved Oxygen

Figure 2 illustrates a time series for percent of dissolved oxygen at two different depths. Data takes on the 27/06/2014 between 8:30 and 15:00 UTC.

(Click individual graph to enlarge).

Figure 2 shows a time series of dissolved oxygen from 08:30 to 15:00 UTC. In general, the pattern of dissolved oxygen increased with time, however there was a greater increase within surface waters than at the bottom of the water column. Generally, the dissolved oxygen followed a similar pattern in the surface waters and at the bottom of the water column. However, after 14:00 UTC the dissolved oxygen concentration in the surface waters (130%) was far greater than at the bottom of the water column (117%).  

Disclaimer - These views are of the students of group 11 only and do not reflect the views and opinions of the National Oceanography Centre or the University of Southampton.