A 13‐year (1970–1982) time series of 12‐hourly wave charts of the North Atlantic has been analyzed for variations in the sea state. Two types of variation were determined: first, strong 3‐ to 7‐year fluctuations; second, a continuous increase in the sea state during the 13 years. It appears that the former is the result of variations in cyclonic activities over the western North Atlantic and that the latter is caused by a steady increase in the strength of the prevailing westerly winds. The existence of such fluctuations and changes in the wave activity will affect long‐term predictions and are expected to have an important impact on the upper‐level physical, chemical, and biological processes of the ocean.
It has not yet been recognized that modification of the natural seasonal discharge of rivers might result in significant consquences to the ecology of the adjacent marine environment. An example of such regulation is the St. Lawrence system in which, in order to optimize power production, large quantities of water from the spring runoff are retained in storage lakes and returned to the river during the low natural discharge period of autumn and winter. It has been estimated that under present conditions the spring and summer runoff at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence has been reduced by between one third and one half.This drastic alteration of the natural runoff has caused significant changes in the physics and dynamics of the waters of the Estuary, Gulf, and adjacent coastal region. It is argued that such modifications produce a profound impact on the biological balance of the whole ecosystem, as well as changes in the seasonal heat budget.
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