Behavior of a Glacier-Derived Suspended Sediment Plume in a Small Arctic Inlet

The changing configuration of a glacier-derived, turbid surface meltwater plume was observed over a 40 hr period in a small marine inlet in Spitsbergen. Factors controlling plume position (tides, winds, and melt stream discharge) were also monitored. Tidal forcing was the dominant control on plume behavior over the study period, when winds were calm or light. The plume spread over much of the inlet on the flood and around high tide, and was restricted to the north side on the ebb and at low water. Winds were generally <5 kts and only influenced plume position when reaching over 12 kts. Coriolis effects were unimportant. Sediments on the inlet floor fined progressively with distance from glacier-fed stream effluxes. Short cores showed that deposition was mainly in the form of structureless sands and silts.