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Wind-wave sediment resuspension in shallow water
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Figure 4: Suisun Bay bathymetry.
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Much of the water in Suisun Bay is less than 2 meters deep, especially in the large subembayments of Grizzly and Honker Bays (fig. 4). Winds, which are typically strongest during summer, generate waves that resuspend sediments in shallow water and can make the SSC much greater in shallow water than in deeper water (fig. 4). Tidal and residual currents transport these resuspended sediments from shallow water to the adjacent deeper channels of Suisun Bay, such as Suisun Cutoff. A smaller SSC is typically found in the channels that are farther from the large, shallow subembayments, such as the southern ship channel near Mallard Island (fig. 4); thus, shallow water can be a source of sediment to the channels, contributing to the observations of an ETM in Suisun Bay.
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
