ABSTRACT
A number of powerful techniques have been developed, making it possible to investigate the physical dispersion conditions in coastal areas and the surface layer of the ocean in general. This chapter presents an account of some of these techniques and how they may be applied. In many applications it is of interest to consider the dispersion of bacteria or virus. Microorganisms are often used as indicators of pollution. Any field study with the aim of determining the dispersion characteristics in a more or less limited area should include certain basic observations of environmental factors influencing the dispersion. These are primarily the meteorological conditions such as wind, velocity and direction, the temperature and salinity distributions giving the density distribution in the water, and the current distribution. The meso-scale dispersion along coasts and in shelf sea areas can be investigated by means of releases of radioactive material from coastal power plants.
