Propagation of the Vistula Lagoon outflow plume into the Baltic Sea: Satellite observations, in-situ measurements and numerical modeling

The influence of wind and hydrodynamic processes on spreading of turbid waters from the Vistula Lagoon into the Baltic Sea was studied. The research was based on joint analysis of remote sensing data, simultaneous subsatellite measurements and numerical modeling. The sharp difference in water optical properties of the Baltic Sea and the Vistula Lagoon, affected by intense summer bloom of cyanobacteria, made it possible to study the evolution and transformation of the outflow in July - early August 2014 using visible satellite data. Forced by coastal jet streams, the outflow spread throughout the Bay of Gdansk, dramatically affected by the circulation processes in the bay. A three-dimensional structure of the outflow was analyzed. In-situ measurements revealed the presence of the Vistula waters exclusively at the upper water layer. A numerical simulation of suspended matter spreading over the Bay of Gdansk was performed using a modified Princeton Ocean Model (POM).