Abstract
Transient inflows and outflows of water between Lake Ontario and Hamilton Harbor, driven by lake seiches, can be parameterized as a two-directional exchange flow. Estimates of exchange flows made from current measurements by others result in unlikely values. A model is developed for exchange flow during summer stratification in which two distinct flow patterns exist — (i) lake water enters the harbour's hypolimnion, displacing an equal volume of hypolimnetic water to the epilimnion and then of epilimnetic water to the lake and (ii) lake water exchanges directly with the harbour's epilimnion. The temporal variation of exchange flows are estimated from a TDS budget and temperature data. They suggest that weekly estimates of epilimnetic exchange vary from 1 to 5 times Q (the average annual flow rate) while hypolimnetic exchange varies from 0 to 15 times Q for a 3-year period. The calculations suggest that stratification and lake seiches significantly increase the “pumping” action of exchange flow in summertime compared to the remainder of the year.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
