Abstract
Subsurface free-drifting floats operating in the Main Lake of Lake Champlain in 2002 and 2004 showed the presence of 1) small circular to elliptical motion away from coastal boundaries, 2) linear to curvilinear motion associated with alongshore currents and 3) subsurface westward cross-lake flow located within the base of the epilimnion and upper metalimnion (10–16m) followed by large displacements up to 48km by a coastal current. This subsurface westward flow is believed to be driven by linked upwelling and downwelling regimes on either side of the lake. Subsurface moorings deployed for ~34days in 2007 and within 1km of Whallon Bay's (NY) western shore showed that Kelvin wave dynamics and a high-speed subsurface jet located above the metalimnic core and >600m offshore could account for these large southerly transports. This subsurface jet may be linked to the cross-lake flow due to similar vertical positioning. The southern concave shape of Whallon Bay also appears to be the cause of high-speed northward-flowing currents within 400m of the shore.
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