TIDES, FRONTS AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN THE CONNECTICUT RIVER ESTUARY

A study of sediment transport in the Connecticut River estuary as part of a senior research seminar is underway at Boston College and in collaboration with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Measurements of water column properties, flow velocities and suspended sediment were made in September and October of 2015 to examine the mechanisms of frontogenesis and the effects of frontal processes on sediment transport, trapping, and accumulation. Measurements were taken with a variety of instrumentation in multiple frontal zones in the estuary. Suspended sediment concentration varied from 0-200 mg/l, salinity varied from 4-30 psu, and near bed tidal velocity ranged from 0.1 to -0.8 m/s. Frontal zones exhibit differences in mixing and stratification depending on phase of the tide, water depth, and distance from Long Island Sound. Suspended sediment transport appears to be flood dominant while bedload through much of the estuary is ebb dominant.