Estuarine Turbidity Maxima Field Campaign

Investigate the Estuarine turbidity maxima.

1. Measure the dominant physical processes in the Estuarine Turbidity Maximum (ETM) of the Columbia River Estuary, including velocity, turbulence, mixing, sediment characteristics and transport, turbidity, optical and water properties, such as T, S and O2

2. Determine which bacterial assemblage is associated with which particle size in and out of ETM using water samples collected with a pump attached to a CTD system, and using samples collected with Owen Tube bottom withdrawal tubes.

3. Collect contextual physical and chemical data with AUV, remote sensing of water column salinity, bottom mounted ADP and CTD, and boom mounted ADCP in estuary and plume.

Chief Scientists: Tom Sanford, APL-UW
Ship: R/V Oceanus
Document: Cruise Plan

Science Initiative
Estuary Turbidity Maxima

Related CMOP Publications
Culturable Rhodobacter and Shewanella species are abundant in estuarine turbidity maxima of the Columbia River.

Protist 18S rRNA gene sequence analysis reveals multiple sources of organic matter to turbidity maxima of the Columbia River estuary.