Observations of surface drift in the Bay of Quinte in the summer of 2017

Session: 06. - Ecosystem Health and Recovery of the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario

Jennifer Shore, Royal Military College of Canada, [email protected]
Peter Snell, Royal Military College of Canada, [email protected]

Abstract

The Bay of Quinte supplies drinking water to 70,000 Ontarians but it is negatively impacted by periodic algal blooms and other contamination events.  Estimates of the bay's circulation are essential to manage the quality of drinking water supplies and also to predict water budgets and nutrient loads.  We designed a low-cost drifter to sample Lagrangian surface currents in the bay and deployed a number of these drifters in the summer of 2017. Drifters were designed to be suitable for deployments that could last up to a few days and that were able to be recaptured and used for multiple deployments for a lower cost-per-deployment.  Results from drifter deployments in Trent River, Big Bay, Mohawk Bay and the Glenora Gap will be discussed.

1. Keyword
Bay of Quinte

2. Keyword
water currents

4. Additional Keyword
drifters