Farfield Tracing of a Point Source Discharge Plume in the Coastal Ocean Using Sulfur Hexafluoride

Authors

Rik Wanninkhof, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
K. M. Sullivan, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; University of Miami
W. Paul Dammann, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
John Proni, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Frederick Bloetscher, Public Utility Management and Planning Services, Inc.
Alexander Soloviev, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Thomas P. Carsey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-15-2005

Publication Title

Environmental Science & Technology

ISSN

0013-936X

Volume

39

Issue/No.

22

First Page

8883

Last Page

8890

Abstract

Pathways and dilution of a point source ocean discharge in the farfield (≈10−66 km) were measured using the deliberate tracer sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆). The injection of SF₆ was performed by bubbling the gas over a period of 6 days into an ocean outfall pipe discharging into the southeast Florida coastal ocean. The surface SF₆ concentrations show that the discharged water flowed northward parallel to the coast with a broadening of the width of the plume to about 3 km at the farthest point sampled, 66 km from the outfall. The discharge was fully mixed throughout the water column within 13 km of the outfall terminus. In the first 20 km from the outfall, SF₆surface concentrations were highly variable, while beyond this the SF₆ concentrations decreased monotonically going northward. The currents were measured during the study with a bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) located 5.5 km from the outfall. Velocities were variable in magnitude and direction but showed a net northward flow during the 6-day study. Maximum concentrations decreased by about 200-fold per kilometer from the outfall to the northern end of the study area. The study shows that SF₆ is an effective method to trace point source releases far from their origin.

Comments

©2005 American Chemical Society

Additional Comments

Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) agreement:NA17RJ1226

NSUWorks Citation

Rik Wanninkhof, K. M. Sullivan, W. Paul Dammann, John Proni, Frederick Bloetscher, Alexander Soloviev, and Thomas P. Carsey. 2005. Farfield Tracing of a Point Source Discharge Plume in the Coastal Ocean Using Sulfur Hexafluoride .Environmental Science & Technology , (22) : 8883 -8890. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/677.

ORCID ID

0000-0001-6519-1547

DOI

10.1021/es048126