Simple Models of the Circulation, Dissolved Metals, Suspended Solids and Nutrients in Halifax Harbour

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Abstract
Salinity data collected in monthly surveys over a two year period are used to model the horizontal circulation and vertical exchange in Halifax Harbour. The circulation is characterised by near-surface outflow and subsurface inflow at rates of order 1 cm s−1; vertical velocities are found to be up to 2 m d−1. Boundary conditions for 5 metals, suspended solids and nutrients are used with the circulation model to derive the distributions of these variables in the Harbour. The modelled distributions of Cu, suspended solids, nitrate and phosphate agree well with the observations. The derived distribution of Mn, Zn, Pb and Hg are less satisfactory, the differences arising because of the chemical dynamics of the former and the uncertainty of the boundary conditions for the latter three. Nitrogen, mostly in the form of ammonia, from sewage can account for a significant portion of the primary productivity in the Harbour; however, the model overestimates the observed winter concentrations of ammonia by a factor of 3.

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