1. Puget Sound Oceanography An introduction by Fritz Stahr & Christian Sarason Outline –estuary definition –examples - PS, SF Bay, Chesapeake –tides & other cycles (view model runs) –exercise with real data

2. An estuary is... A place where river(s) meets the ocean... Where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico is not an estuary, though some side drainage is. that has surrounding land and a limited opening... San Francisco Bay where the Central Valley rivers meets the Pacific is an estuary.

3. An estuary is... A place where river(s) meet the ocean that has surrounding land and a limited opening... and where the fresh and salt water mix. Puget Sound is an estuary; it is connected to the Pacific ocean through the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

4. U.S. Estuary Examples Chesapeake Bay

9. Different bathymetry makes for different circulation and mixing “Standard” deep mouth - e.g., Chesapeake, Tampa & SF Bay With a sill - “fjord” - e.g., Puget Sound

10. Different river flow makes for different circulation and mixing High river flow + weak tides = strong salt wedge Low river flow + stong tides = well mixed

11. A quick lesson on tides in Puget Sound... Each day there are two high and two low tides here, but they’re unequal...we call it “semi-diurnal mixed.”

12. Every other week, the “phase” or type of tidal range changes between “spring” - large differences between high and low- and “neap” - smaller differences. This plays a role in circulation within the Sound. A quick lesson on tides in Puget Sound... Predictions for October 2-28, 2003

13. Let’s see some of this in Puget Sound... (drum roll please.... cue the model)