Variability in the evolution of the Chesapeake Bay outflow plume front as observed with a real aperture radar

In this paper, time sequences of radar imagery are presented that illustrate the spatial and temporal evolution of the Chesapeake Bay outflow plume front. These images were collected in May 1997 and May 1999 during parts 2 and 5 of the Chesapeake Bay Outflow Plume Experiment (COPE2 and COPE5, respectively). The COPE5 data set features an image sequence that spans nearly ten hours during the early-flood to maximum-ebb portion of the semidiurnal tidal cycle. The frontal evolution shown in this continuous image sequence shows a striking resemblance to that implied by a "composite" sequence from COPE2, formed by combining data from two separate flights flown on two consecutive days, indicating a high degree of reproducibility in the frontal evolution.