Sediment Distribution and Hydrodynamics, Saco River And
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Contribution No. 6-CRG Department of Geology University of Massachusetts June, 197 0 SEDIMENT DISTRIBUTION AND HYDRODYNA.tvliCS SACO RIVER AND SCARBORO ESTUARIES, MAINE Stewart c. Farrell The contents of this report may be reproduced in whole or in part of any purpose of the United States Government. Distribution of this document is unlimited. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract. l Acknowledgements. ' 4 Introduction •..•...•......•...••... 5 Hydrography ...•.....•. 9 Scarboro estuary. 12 Temperature and salinity. 12 Current velocity. 17 Sa co River estuary ........... 29 Temperature and salinity. 29 Current velocity ...................... 36 Comparison with other New England estuaries. 45 Intertidal sand bodies and bedforms ...................... 48 can1p Ellis bar ...................................... 48 Scarboro ebb-tidal delta .......•••...........•...... 58 Scarboro flood-tidal delta .......................... 66 Scarboro estuary bedform orientations ............... 74 Sediments. 77 Mineralogy ..................... 78 Metamorphic rock fragments ....•••••..•.•.•..•.• 79 Feldspars. 83 Grain texture. 92 Polish and roundness . ......................... 92 Grain size. 93 iii Intertidal sand bodies in Saco Bay. 94 Tidal creeks and their margins. .105 Sediment distribution. .116 The littoral system ............................ .117 Conclusions ••.••• .125 References cited. .128 iv ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Location map, Saco Bay, Maine .........•.... ~ ..•...• 6 2. Graph of tidal fluctuation in Saco Bay .....••••.••• 10 3. Surface salinities and temperatures of the Scarboro estuary at low tide .•..••..•.••...•••..•.•....••••• 13 4. Surface salinities and temperatures of the Scarboro estuary at high tide ............................... 15 5. Longitudinal profiles of temperature and salinity in the main channel of the Scarboro estuary •....... 18 6. Longitudinal profiles of temperature and salinity in the main channel of the Scarboro estuary •.••.••• 20 7. Longitudinal profiles of current velocities during flood tide in the main channel of the Scarboro estuary ............................................ 22 8. Longitudinal profiles of current velocities during ebb tide in the main channel of the Scarboro estuary. 24 9. The time-velocity asymmetry of the flood- and ebb- tidaL currents. 2 7 10. Longitudinal profiles of temperature and salinity during flood in the main channel of the Saco River estuar~r ...................................... 31 v 11. Longitudinal profiles of temperature and salinity in the main channel of the Saco River estuary ..•.• 33 12. Longitudinal profile of the low-water temperature and salinity in the main channel of the Saco River estuary ..................................... 37 13. Longitudinal profiles of current velocity during flood in the main channel of the Saco River estuary ........................................... 39 14. Longitudinal profiles of ebb-period current velocities in the main channel of the Saco River estuary . .......................................... 43 15. Oblique aerial photograph of the Saco River Camp Ellis bar ...... " ................... ·............... 50 16. Topographic map of the Saco Camp Ellis bar •••.••.• 52 17. Cross sections of sedimentary structures of Scarboro and Camp Ellis bars .•..••..••..•••••••••• 54 18. Photographs of internal structures of bedforms of the Scarboro and Saco River estuaries ...•.••••.... 56 19. Vertical aerial photograph of the Scarboro ebb- tidal delta complex ............................... 59 20. Vertical aerial photograph of Scarboro estuary flood-tidal delta .....•.••.•••.•••.•.•...•••••.••• 61 21. Topographic map of the swash bar portion of the Scarboro ebb-tidal delta .•.•••••.•....•.•••.••.••• 63 vi 22. Topographic map of Scarboro flood-tidal delta ..... 67 23. Photographs showing sand-wave migration ........... 71 24. Rose diagrams of intertidal slip face orientations of the Scarboro estuary ........••.........•....... 75 25. Percentage of local versus foreign metamorphic rock fragments in the Scarboro and Saco .River estuaries.. 81 26. Percentages of yellow feldspar in 0~ and 2~ sands in the Saco River and Scarboro estuaries .•........ 84 27. Percentages of gray versus yellow feldspar in upper and lower Scarboro harbor 0~-size sand ..•••• 86 28. Percentages of gray feldspar in the 2~ fraction of upper and lower Scarboro Harbor sand.-.•.•.....••.. 88 29. Percentages of yellow feldspar in the 2~ fraction in upper and lower Scarboro harbor sands •••..••..• 90 30. Graph of sorting (inclusive graphic standard deviation) versus graphic mean for three intertidal sand bodies in the Saco Bay area ••.••.•.••.••.•••. 95 31. Graph of graphic mean versus inclusive graphic skewness for three intertidal sand bodies in the Saco Bay area........ 97 32. Graph of cumulative weight-percent for three intertidal sand bodies in the Saco Bay area •.••..• lOO 33. Graph of frequency distribution for three intertidal sand bodies in the Saco Bay area ••••••• l02 vii 34. Graph of cumulative weight-percent for the Scarboro lag deposits •..•••••••.•••••••.••••••••• l06 35. Graph of frequency distribution for the Scarboro lag deposits ••••••.••••.•••••••••.••.••.•.••••••• lOB 36. Graph of inclusive graphic standard deviation versus graphic mean for estuary bottom sediment •• lll 37. Graph of inclusive graphic skewness versus graphic mean for Scarboro River tidal channels ••• ll4 38. Wave-refraction diagram for Saco Bay •..•••••••••• ll9 Table 1. Ratio of fresh water discharge to tidal-prism volume ............................................ 47 2. Sand-wave migration distances ••••••••.•••••••••••• 69 3. Partial bedrock stratigraphic column for the Saco Bay area. 80 4. Drift measurements at five Old Orchard profile stations . ........................................ 118 1 Abstract: The Saco River, a major New England stream with an average runoff of 2919 cubic feet per second, and the Scarboro estuary, a system of three small local brooks, are located at opposite ends of Old Orchard Beach, York County, Maine. The Saco River estuary has a six-mile bedrock channel with no salt marsh or tidal-flat development and with a highly irregular channel bottom profile. The Scarboro estuary system is a complex of well-developed maandering tidal channels, point bars, ebb- and flood tidal deltas, salt marshes, and tidal flats. The Saco River estuary is a highly stratified salt wedge estuary with a slightly inclined salt water-fresh water boundary. The irregular bottom topography creates deep salt-water traps where water of 300/oo salinity re mains throughout the tidal cycle. At ebb, surface fresh water flowing as much as 3.5 feet per second creates sharp shear boundaries between it and the nearly motionless sea water in the deeps. The Scarboro estuary is a homogeneous, unstratified saline estuary; the minimum salinity in the harbor at .low water is 26°/oo. A pronounced time-velocity current asymmetry results in flood transport of sand into the harbor and up on the flood-tidal delta. Flood dominance is most pronounced on intertidal sand flats where sand wave slip faces migrate only in the flood direction. The 2 maximum migration rate measured was 3.5 feet during the period of each spring tide. Ebb currents are most effec- tive in the major deep channels. Certain modifications of the flood-tidal delta1 , such as the formation of ebb shields and trailing ebb spits, can also be attributed to the ebb currents. The grain-size data show a striking difference be- tween the coarser sediments of the intertidal sand bodies of the Saco River estuary (0.5~ mean) and the finer sedi- ments of the intertidal sand bodies of the Scarboro l. Definitions from Coastal Research Group (1969) ~ipples: Asymmetric bedforms formed by unidirec tional flow. Wavelength of less than 2 feet. 1-leg_aripples: Wavelength between 2 and 20 f ·eet. Linear-megaripples: Megaripples with straight crests. Scour-megaripples: Megaripples with undula tory to cuspate crests and well-developed scour pits in front of the slip faces. Sand waves: Wavelength greater than 20 feet. Ebb spit: Spit formed in an estuary as a result of ebb currents. Commonly attached to the borders of flood-tidal deltas. Ebb shield: Topographically high rim or margin around a sand body that protects portions of the sand body from modification by ebb-currents. Flood-tidal delta: Sediment accumulation formed inside an inlet by flood-tidal currents. Ebb-tidal delta: Sediment accumulation seaward of a t~dal inlet. Deposited by ebb-tidal currents. 3 estuary (1.25~ mean). Sediments of the ebb-tidal delta of the Scarboro estuary are much better sorted (0.35<"i<0.65) than those of the flood-tidal delta (0.35<~< 1.0). This better sorting reflects the nondeposition of suspended fines due to continued reworking of the ebb-tidal delta sand body by waves. The change from dominant white and gray feldspar in the lower Scarboro harbor to dominant yellow feldspar in the upper tidal creeks, combined with a decrease in the number of polished sand grains and in the quantity of locally derived ~etamorphic rock fragments away from the estuary entrance, indicates a flood-tide control of transport and deposition within the estuary. The lack of strong fresh water flow results in material derived from erosion of the latest Pleistocene river deltas and the Presumpscot blue clayey silt being concentrated either as sand in tidal-channel bottom lag deposits and point bars or as silt and clay deposited on the salt marsh or mud flats. The barrier beach attains its shape