TABLE 1 
RESULTS OF DRIFT BOTTLE RELEASES AT STATIONS OF FIGURE 2 
TIDAL CONDITIONS AT RELEASE 
Slack Both Slack Slack 
Before Ebb Before Before 
and Flood Ebb Flood 
Number bottles released 898 450 448 
Percent recovered 38.9 - - 
Percent recovered in 10 days 24.6 16.4 Se 
Average time out (days) 552 4.6 6.4 
Averxge distance traveled (km) 34.5 34.0 36.0 
(Naut. mi. ) 18.6 SES 19.4 
Release months May, June, October, 
July, April 
August 
The general picture is one of southward-moving water that has moved out 
of Chesapeake Bay impinging upon the shore line to the south of Cape Henry. 
That the outflow should take such a course in the northern hemisphere is 
predicted by theory (cf. Defant,1961, Figure 25la). Because of a pre- 
vailing southward movement of shelf water beyond the bay mouth (Norcross 
et. al., 1962), however, the magnitude of the right hand deflection in the 
direction of movement is increased. Additional drift bottle returns from 
a release point off Little Creek Inlet (Figure 3) on Chesapeake Bay may 
be cited here. Of interest are the seeming "depositories" of drift bottles 
south of Cape Henry indicating, among other things, the considerable in- 
fluence of southward moving shelf waters beyond the bay entrance. 
RESULTS OF DETAILED SURVEY 
Tidal and Nontidal Currents. At the request of the Virginia Institute 
of Marine Science, the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey established three 
Roberts Radio Current Meter Stations at the points shown on Figure 4. Data 
were gathered continuously from eight meters at the three stations, for 
between 9 and 13 tidal cycles, during the period July 30 - August 5, 1962. 
These data were reduced by personnel of both organizations, according to 
the methods described in U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Special Publica- 
itlon\e2 son 
Winds (Figure 5) and waves (Figure 6) during the 6-day period were 
subdued. Although runoff in the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin was below 
average for that time of year (F. J. Flynn, 1963, written communication) 
