FLUXES OF SUSPENDED MATTER IN THE EAST ANGLIAN PLUME SOUTHERN NORTH-SEA

The seasonal variation in the suspended sediment distribution in the S outhern North Sea has been defined by direct sampling over a grid of s tations. The East Anglian plume, a region of relatively high concentra tions, develops eastward from eastern England across the Southern Eigh t during the winter. During the summer the plume concentrations are lo wer. Using residual currents obtained from a numerical model, together with the depth averaged suspended matter concentrations, allows estim ation of the fluxes within the plume. This suggests that 6.6 x 10(6) t of suspended matter was transported eastward in one year, with possib le errors of +/- 50%. Comparison with published sediment budgets for t he coastal area of eastern England shows that the plume constitutes a major feature transporting sediment across the North Sea. (C) 1998 Els evier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.