Observations of steady and seasonal salt, heat, and mass transport through a tidal channel

One-year time series of current speed, water temperature, and salinity from a tidal channel in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas, are used to investigate the annual mean and time-varying transport of salt, heat, and mass. Time series of salinity, heat content, density, and volume transport are decomposed into annual mean, low-frequency (days to seasons), and high-frequency (tide dominated) components, and perturbation analysis is used to quantify transport. When perturbation products are averaged over the entire year, steady transport dominates the averages of the time-varying terms. Harmonic analysis reveals distinct seasonal variability.