The nature and behavior of oscillations in the Buffalo river, Buffalo, ny, usa

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Kari Clayton, Jill Singer, Tom Manley

Tuesday 30 june 2015

18:03 - 18:06h at Oceania (level 0)

Themes: (T) Sediment management and morphodynamics, (ST) River morphodynamics, Poster pitches

Parallel session: Poster pitches: 7B. Sediment - River

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The Buffalo River, an urbanized watershed located in Buffalo, New York, USA, discharges into the east end of Lake Erie. The lower ~9 km of the river is a navigation channel with a depth of ~9 m. Due to the orientation of Lake Erie in the same direction of the prevailing WSW winds, persistent winds pile water up at the eastern (Buffalo) end of the lake causing large setups (elevation changes) on the eastern side of the lake which in turn, create a surge into the Buffalo River The Buffalo River is susceptible to Lake Erie surges as a consequence of its deepening from dredging, low gradient, and lower flow velocities. To understand lake surges, including how they propagate into the Buffalo River reversing flow, three water level recorders were installed for five to six months each year between 2010 and 2014. River elevations were measured at 5-minute intervals from 2010 to 2012 and at 1-minute intervals from 2013 to 2014. Changes in river elevation between the mouth and 9 km upriver show the propagation of these surges. Lake surges can increase river elevation >50 cm. The Buffalo River also has an oscillation (i.e., river seiche) with a period of ~1.75 - 2.0 hours and amplitudes from ~5 - 10 cm.