Tidal Currents and Glacial Discharge, Laguna San Rafael, Southern Chile

• Main Author: Reed, Denise J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Journal of Coastal Research 1988
• Subjects: Tidewater
• Online Access: https://journals.flvc.org/jcr/article/view/77686

The interaction between meltwater from a tidewater glacier, San Rafael Glacier, and tidal currents in the Laguna San Rafael, southern Chile, were monitored during January 1986. Current measurements were taken adjacent to the lacier snout in the laguna and indicated localised influence of glacial meltwater on velocities. The laguna has one tidal input/output channel and detailed measurements of water level and velocities indicated a clear discharge asymmetry. Estimates of glacial discharge and iceberg melt account for this asymmetry and show that the glacier exerts a strong influence on tidal flows through the tidal channel connecting the laguna with the adjacent fjord.