Yellen 2006 Summer Time Suspended Sediment Transport in Lake Linné, Svalbard

Conclusions: Several forces affect summer time suspended sediment transport within Lake Linné. Most notably, surface winds and associated Ekman transport drive currents easterly or westerly on a daily basis. Melting of the delta icing over the course of the summer allows a progressively larger chann...

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Bibliographic Details
Format: Dataset
Language:unknown
Published: Arctic Data Center 2013
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Online Access:https://search.dataone.org/view/urn:uuid:0f71a671-a3dd-4cd6-a9fd-53590f358c50
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Summary:Conclusions: Several forces affect summer time suspended sediment transport within Lake Linné. Most notably, surface winds and associated Ekman transport drive currents easterly or westerly on a daily basis. Melting of the delta icing over the course of the summer allows a progressively larger channel to flow out of the eastern side of the inlet delta. Depth distribution of sediment plumes is predictably influenced by density contrasts between the inlet water and the lake water. During times of low flow, when the glacial melt water is most concentrated, underflows tend to occur. Conversely, during wetter periods, when the glacial sediment is diluted by surface run off, overflows may be more common. The effects of the secular eastward shift of suspended sediment may provide a robust paleo-indicator for summer climate if detected in the paleo record. Further work must be done to better understand the effects of daily changes in sediment distribution throughout the summer. Most notably, detailed observations of the inlet delta throughout the summer will allow for more confidence regarding the influence of the icing in biasing the direction of the inlet plume. Additionally, monitoring sediment plumes in along the long axis of the lake may allow for better understanding of where sediment travels within the lake. Due to the importance of summertime climate in the Arctic’s energy budget and our ability to directly observe sedimentation at this time of the year, a better understanding of summer sedimentation controls will provide the most useful interpretation of Linné’s paleo record.