Name
The impacts of wind-generated waves on suspended sediment concentrations over storm-to-seasonal timescales in the Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy
Date & Time
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Description
This study examines spatial and temporal changes in sedimentation patterns across the Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy, where high suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) are driven by tidal currents and locally generated wind-waves. Field observations of water depth, current velocity, significant wave height, and turbidity were collected at two offshore and three intertidal sites over several seasons to support comparisons of seasonal changes in SSC. Field measurements showed that SSC is generally higher near the bed than in the water column, and a consistent seasonal trend was observed across the three intertidal sites, with lower SSC values typically occurring during the summer than during the winter. A coupled hydrodynamic-wave-sediment model (Delft3D FM-SWAN) with a flexible mesh grid and high-resolution bathymetry was applied to simulate the sediment dynamics. The model was used to evaluate how storm events and seasonal variability of waves and water levels impact sediment erosion, transport, and deposition. Summer and winter periods were simulated, and SSCs and morphological patterns were analyzed. The results provide insight into the spatial variability in sediment dynamics at intertidal and offshore sites across the basin. An increase in resuspension is evident during storm events and the winter season compared to the summer season, with sediment characteristics (e.g., grain size and critical erosion thresholds) and more energetic storm-driven hydrodynamics driving the differences. In this macrotidal basin, tidal processes typically dominate bed shear stress, but wind-waves are critical in shallow intertidal areas, leading to high seasonal variability in sediment resuspension and transport.
Location Name
DSU 303
Full Address
Dalhousie University
Halifax NS
Canada
Session Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract ID
72
Speaker Organization
Queen's University
Session Name
H1
Co-authors
Ryan Mulligan, Queen's University Brent Law, Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Presenting Author
Élise Rogers, Queen's University