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Suspended sediment discharge of the Susquehanna river to Northern Chesapeake Bay, 1966 to 1976

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Abstract

Between 1966 and 1976, the Susquehanna River at Conowingo, Maryland, discharged approximately 50 million metric tons of suspended sediment to Northern Chesapeake Bay. About 40 million metric tons were discharged in two floods associated with hurricanes: Agnes (24–30 June 1972) and Eloise (26–30 September 1975). In the six years with complete records and no major floods, the Susquehanna River discharged 0.9±0.3 million metric tons of suspended sediment per year at Conowingo Dam. Aout 50 to 60 percent of the annual sediment discharge is usually floods, suspended sediment transport at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, exceeds sediment discharge at Conowingo, Maryland, probably due to sediment deposition in the lower river and behind three hydroelectric dams.

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CBI Contribution No. 243. MSRC Contribution No. 182.

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Gross, M.G., Karweit, M., Cronin, W.B. et al. Suspended sediment discharge of the Susquehanna river to Northern Chesapeake Bay, 1966 to 1976. Estuaries 1, 106–110 (1978). https://doi.org/10.2307/1351599

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