Salinity Changes in Charleston Harbor 1922–1987
Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 116, Issue 2
Abstract
Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, has undergone pronounced changes in salinity regimes because of the diversion of the Santee River into the Cooper River in 1942 and rediversion of the Cooper into the Santee in 1985. The mean monthly harbor surface salinity changed from 30.1 ppt to 16.8 ppt as a result of the diversion, and has again increased to 22.0 ppt since rediversion. Postdiversion monthly mean Cooper River discharge was but since rediversion, the monthly mean discharge has decreased to and become less variable. Regression models for salinity variability in Charleston Harbor and Cooper River have been developed. Based on these models, discharge alone explains 78% of the salinity variance during the postdiversion period, but accounts for only 1% of the salinity variance after rediversion because of the near constant discharge. Thus, the estuary is presently much more susceptible to salinity changes due to far‐field forcing from the coastal ocean.
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Published In
Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 116 • Issue 2 • March 1990
Pages: 153 - 168
Copyright
Copyright © 1990 ASCE.
History
Published online: Mar 1, 1990
Published in print: Mar 1990
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