Optical Properties, Suspended Sediments, and Chemistry Associated with the Turbidity Maxima of the Delaware Estuary

Abstract

Two turbidity maxima were found in the Delaware Estuary and were distinct both in terms of optical properties of the water and in quantity of suspended material. The upstream maximum occurred at about 1‰ salinity. Both the diffuse attenuation coefficient (KD) and the beam attenuation coefficient (α) responded to the double turbidity maxima. The upstream maximum contains a larger number of individual mineral grains with a mean diameter of about 3 μm; the downstream maximum, which occurred at salinities of 7.5–10‰, was dominated by composite particles with a mean size of 12 μm; at salinities > 10‰, the suspended sediment population was dominated by large (10–20 μm) individual particles with few composite particles.Nutrients, productivity, particulate organic matter, and dissolved and particulate metals all showed relationships to the turbidity maxima when viewed on salinity and on geographic axes. An excess of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in relation to dissolved inorganic phosphorus was mirrored by exceptionally low particulate C/P ratios in the region of the turbidity maxima. Primary productivity appeared to be greatly reduced in the region of the downstream turbidity maximum.The trace metals Fe, Mn, Cd, Cu, Co, and Ni showed a general association with particulate phases at lowest salinities, at the upstream turbidity maximum. The more particle reactive metals (Fe, Mn, and Co) reflected this as enrichment relative to particulate aluminum. At the downstream turbidity maximum, in the mid-salinity range, the trace metals showed a minimum relative to Al, probably due to dilution by resuspended bottom sediments. In the lower estuary, the trace metals exhibited the highest enrichment (relative to aluminum) and an association with high concentrations of particulate carbon.Key words: Delaware Estuary, turbidity maxima, optical properties, suspended sediments, chemistry