Ice Distribution and Winter Surface Circulation Patterns, Kachemak Bay, Alaska

Development of the hydropower potential of Bradley Lake, Alaska, would nearly double winter freshwater discharge from the Bradley River into upper Kachemak Bay, and the Corps of Engineers is concerned about possible subsequent increased ice formation and related ice-induced problems. The objectives...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Gatto,Lawrence W
Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1981
Subjects:
Ice
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA110806
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA110806
id ftdtic:ADA110806
record_format openpolar
spelling ftdtic:ADA110806 2023-05-15T16:37:21+02:00 Ice Distribution and Winter Surface Circulation Patterns, Kachemak Bay, Alaska Gatto,Lawrence W COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH 1981-12 text/html http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA110806 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA110806 en eng http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA110806 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE DTIC AND NTIS Meteorology Physical and Dynamic Oceanography Snow Ice and Permafrost *BAYS OCEAN CURRENTS ALASKA MOTION VARIATIONS SUSPENDED SEDIMENTS WINTER ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES WIND DIRECTION WIND VELOCITY CIRCULATION NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION SEA ICE PHOTOINTERPRETATION AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY *Kachemak Bay Satellite photography Text 1981 ftdtic 2016-02-20T22:31:55Z Development of the hydropower potential of Bradley Lake, Alaska, would nearly double winter freshwater discharge from the Bradley River into upper Kachemak Bay, and the Corps of Engineers is concerned about possible subsequent increased ice formation and related ice-induced problems. The objectives of this investigation were to describe winter surface circulation in the bay and document ice distribution patterns for predicting where additional ice might be transported if it forms. Fifty-one Landsat MSS band 5 and 7 and RBV images with 70% cloud cover or less, taken between 1 November and 30 April each year, were analyzed for the eight winters from 1972 to 1980 with standard photointerpretation techniques. Results of this analysis showed that glacial sediment discharged into Kachemak Bay acts as a natural tracer in the water. Inner Kachemak Bay circulation in the winter is predominantly counterclockwise, with northeasterly nearshore currents along the south shore and southwesterly nearshore currents along the north shore. Most of the ice in the inner bay forms at its northeast end and is discharged by the Fox, Sheep and Bradley Rivers. Some ice becomes shorefast on the tidal flats at the head of the bay, while some moves southwestward along the north shore pushed by winds and currents. When this ice reaches Coal Bay, it accumulates between Homer Spit and the north shore. This buildup extended out to Coal Point at the tip of Homer Spit in February 1976 and 1979; ice was not observed in the nearshore zone along the south shore of the inner bay. Text Ice Kachemak permafrost Sea ice Alaska Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database Bradley Lake ENVELOPE(-106.084,-106.084,59.467,59.467) Inner Bay ENVELOPE(-37.967,-37.967,-54.017,-54.017) Pacific
institution Open Polar
collection Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database
op_collection_id ftdtic
language English
topic Meteorology
Physical and Dynamic Oceanography
Snow
Ice and Permafrost
*BAYS
OCEAN CURRENTS
ALASKA
MOTION
VARIATIONS
SUSPENDED SEDIMENTS
WINTER
ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES
WIND DIRECTION
WIND VELOCITY
CIRCULATION
NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
SEA ICE
PHOTOINTERPRETATION
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
*Kachemak Bay
Satellite photography
spellingShingle Meteorology
Physical and Dynamic Oceanography
Snow
Ice and Permafrost
*BAYS
OCEAN CURRENTS
ALASKA
MOTION
VARIATIONS
SUSPENDED SEDIMENTS
WINTER
ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES
WIND DIRECTION
WIND VELOCITY
CIRCULATION
NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
SEA ICE
PHOTOINTERPRETATION
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
*Kachemak Bay
Satellite photography
Gatto,Lawrence W
Ice Distribution and Winter Surface Circulation Patterns, Kachemak Bay, Alaska
topic_facet Meteorology
Physical and Dynamic Oceanography
Snow
Ice and Permafrost
*BAYS
OCEAN CURRENTS
ALASKA
MOTION
VARIATIONS
SUSPENDED SEDIMENTS
WINTER
ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES
WIND DIRECTION
WIND VELOCITY
CIRCULATION
NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
SEA ICE
PHOTOINTERPRETATION
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
*Kachemak Bay
Satellite photography
description Development of the hydropower potential of Bradley Lake, Alaska, would nearly double winter freshwater discharge from the Bradley River into upper Kachemak Bay, and the Corps of Engineers is concerned about possible subsequent increased ice formation and related ice-induced problems. The objectives of this investigation were to describe winter surface circulation in the bay and document ice distribution patterns for predicting where additional ice might be transported if it forms. Fifty-one Landsat MSS band 5 and 7 and RBV images with 70% cloud cover or less, taken between 1 November and 30 April each year, were analyzed for the eight winters from 1972 to 1980 with standard photointerpretation techniques. Results of this analysis showed that glacial sediment discharged into Kachemak Bay acts as a natural tracer in the water. Inner Kachemak Bay circulation in the winter is predominantly counterclockwise, with northeasterly nearshore currents along the south shore and southwesterly nearshore currents along the north shore. Most of the ice in the inner bay forms at its northeast end and is discharged by the Fox, Sheep and Bradley Rivers. Some ice becomes shorefast on the tidal flats at the head of the bay, while some moves southwestward along the north shore pushed by winds and currents. When this ice reaches Coal Bay, it accumulates between Homer Spit and the north shore. This buildup extended out to Coal Point at the tip of Homer Spit in February 1976 and 1979; ice was not observed in the nearshore zone along the south shore of the inner bay.
author2 COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
format Text
author Gatto,Lawrence W
author_facet Gatto,Lawrence W
author_sort Gatto,Lawrence W
title Ice Distribution and Winter Surface Circulation Patterns, Kachemak Bay, Alaska
title_short Ice Distribution and Winter Surface Circulation Patterns, Kachemak Bay, Alaska
title_full Ice Distribution and Winter Surface Circulation Patterns, Kachemak Bay, Alaska
title_fullStr Ice Distribution and Winter Surface Circulation Patterns, Kachemak Bay, Alaska
title_full_unstemmed Ice Distribution and Winter Surface Circulation Patterns, Kachemak Bay, Alaska
title_sort ice distribution and winter surface circulation patterns, kachemak bay, alaska
publishDate 1981
url http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA110806
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA110806
long_lat ENVELOPE(-106.084,-106.084,59.467,59.467)
ENVELOPE(-37.967,-37.967,-54.017,-54.017)
geographic Bradley Lake
Inner Bay
Pacific
geographic_facet Bradley Lake
Inner Bay
Pacific
genre Ice
Kachemak
permafrost
Sea ice
Alaska
genre_facet Ice
Kachemak
permafrost
Sea ice
Alaska
op_source DTIC AND NTIS
op_relation http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA110806
op_rights APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
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