A note on wind-driven replacement flow of the bottom layer in Saldanha Bay, South Africa: implications for pollution

Abstract

The unexpected effect of a synoptic-scale event (passage of a cold front) on the advection of water across the mouth of Small Bay, Saldanha Bay, is recorded. From a current-meter record, it is shown how the strength (> 15m·s−1) and direction (NNE) of the wind relative to the mouth set up a stratified shear flow whereby the out-flowing surface water is replaced by in-flowing bottom water. The potential environmental implications for this type of event are discussed.