Distribution of Salinity and Temperature in the Hudson Estuary

Abstract

Vertical salinity profiles in the Hudson Estuary are extremely variable, and often contain finestructure similar to that in oceanic stratification. This finestructure may be caused by the stability-dependent vertical diffusion of salt. The interpretation of T-S diagrams indicates that, to a first order, temperature and salinity are controlled by conservative mixing processes, and that residence time in the Estuary is approximately one or two weeks.