DERIVATION OF DELAWARE BAY TIDAL PARAMETERS FROM SPACE-SHUTTLE PHOTOGRAPHY

The tide-related parameters of the Delaware Bay are derived from space shuttle time-series photographs. The water areas in the bay are measu red from interpretation maps of the photographs with a CALCOMP 9100 di gitizer and ERDAS Image Processing System. The corresponding tidal lev els are calculated using the exposure time annotated on the photograph s. From these data, an approximate function relating the water area to the tidal level at a reference point is determined. Based on the func tion, the water areas of the Delaware Bay at mean high water (MHW) and mean low water (MLW), below 0 m, and for the tidal zone are inferred. With MHW and MLW areas and the mean tidal range, we calculate the tid al influx of the Delaware Bay, which is 2.76 x 10(9) m3. Furthermore, the velocity of flood tide at the bay mouth is determined using the ti dal flux and an integral of the velocity distribution function at the cross section between Cape Henlopen and Cape May. The result is 132 cm /s, which compares well with the data on tidal current charts.