FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 72, NO. 2 



Table 5.- — Wind velocity recordings at or above 15 mph on 

 days when there were two or more such recordings, 1967.' 



Wind 

 direction 



Number of 3-hourly 

 recordings 



NE (10°-80') 



E (90°) 



SE (100=- 170°) 



S (180°) 



SW (190-260=) 



W (270=) 



NW (280-350°) 



N (360=) 



76 

 2 



23 

 2 



77 



10 

 224 



29 



'Source: Local Cllmatologjcal Data, 1967, John F. Kennedy Airpori. 

 US. Dep. Commer., Environ. Sci. Serv. Adm. -Environ, Data Serv. 

 U.S. Gov. Print. Off., Wash.. D.C. 



Biggs (1968), Hantzschel (1939), Hellier and 

 Kornicker (1962), and others. 



In a shallow, almost completely enclosed em- 

 bayment like Goose Creek, with a relatively broad 

 exposure to prevailing winds, the effect of wind on 

 the distribution of fine sediments becomes accen- 

 tuated. Biggs (1968:481) states that "strong and 

 persistent winds may cause high suspended 

 sediment loads . . ." 



The wind velocity data for Kennedy airport 

 on Long Island were tabulated, and those days 

 with two or more recordings of winds at 15 mph 

 or above were compared. As can be seen from 

 Table 5, the prevailing winds 15 mph and above 

 come from the northwest on Long Island. Indi- 

 vidual recordings from the northwest were more 

 than ten times as common as those coming from 

 the opposite direction, and at least three times 

 more common than winds coming from any other 

 quarter. 



All other factors being equal, one would expect 

 that the difference in mean wind velocity favoring 

 the northwesterly prevailing winds would result 

 in a net deposition of sediment in the south- 

 eastern region of the bay. Examination of Figure 

 1 reveals that this is the region where the channel 

 opens to Southold Bay, the area of maximum tidal 

 current velocity. This complex interaction of 

 factors would probably result in an unusually 

 high suspended sediment load in the incoming 

 and outgoing tidal currents and the deposition 

 of light particles carried by incoming tides in the 

 southwestern margins of the bay. 



This hypothesis is given substance by three 

 sets of data: Hair (1968) and Fazio (1969) demon- 

 strate that the transport of nutrients in Goose 

 Creek was strongly influenced by wind-induced 



currents both before and after dredging. By draw- 

 ing isopleths of NO3 concentrations and relating 

 them to wind direction and velocity, they were 

 able to show that nitrate concentrations were 

 responsive to both factors, with progressive 

 diminutions of concentration across the bay in the 

 direction of the wind source (see Figures 8 and 9). 



Minimum wind velocity required to induce 

 clear-cut distribution of particulate constituents 

 was 5 mph according to Fazio. He also showed 

 that a wind increase from 13 to 20 mph caused 

 a resuspension of bottom material affecting con- 

 centrations of particulate phosphorus, chlorophyll 

 a, dissolved inorganic phosphate, and nitrate. 



Nuzzi (1969) shows a correlation between bac- 

 terial count and wind velocity in Goose Creek. 

 He suggests that a critical wind velocity is 



GOOSE CREEK NY. 



WIND DieEC TION 



Figure 8. — Isopleths of NO3 concentration in;ugat. NOs-N/liter, 

 wind coming from the northern quarter. (Redrawn from Hair, 

 1968). 



456 



