Bedwell

Bedwell Inlet

Looking outward toward Bedwell Sound, from the Bedwell River Valley off West Coast Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Photo: Clayoquot Wilderness Resort: www.wildretreat.com

Bedwell is located nine miles by water north of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Bedwell Inlet is the shallowest inlet in Clayoquot Sound with a depth of 80 meters. The inlet has hardly any sill and a flatter horizontal distribution. the only two ways to accesse the inlet is by float plane or a 30-minute boat trip from Tofino. The oral histories and knowledge of the legends of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation claim they have been there since the time the world was created. The Bedwell River valley was first surveyed in 1856 by a botanist named Buttle, who found gold in the valley. Word spread quickly, and by the 1860s the first gold rush was on. The estuaries are the outpost of the ultra-luxurious Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, a 21st-century safari-style collection of white safari-style tents built on raised wooden platforms.

Sampling Stations

Bedwell Inlet has 6 sampling stations (86,85,42,82,41,40) Samples were collected 2014 and were used to create choropleth and cross-sectional figures to display water properties of the inlet

Meteorological Conditions During Inlet Sampling

Data was used from Tofino Airport provided by the Government of Canada website.

Samples where collected on 9/10/14

Tidal Pattern During Sampling Period

Nutrient Choropleth Maps

Nutrient choropleth maps show the concentration of each nutrient type by depth(Nitrate, Phosphate, and Silicate) in Bedwell Inlet. The layer of nutrient in these maps show us the physical processes in the inlet and give an indication of productivity in the waters.

Nitrate concentration is essential as it is a significant nutrient for phytoplankton. Phytoplankton is a primary producer for the environment. The general trend we expect to see for surface is a higher concentration at the mouth of inlet probably due to upwelling or phytoplankton consuming nutrient further in the inlet. The chlorophyll maximum would be expected to see low concentrations as phytoplankton consume nutrient at lower levels. The bottom nutrients are expected to be the opposite of surface nutrients with higher concentrations in the inlet because phytoplankton depleted surface nutrients, which sink and accumulate. Bedwell resembles Tofino as the northern inlets are much higher in nutrients.

Image carousel of concentrations of Phosphate in surface, chlorophyll maximum, and bottom waters in Bedwell Inlet

Phosphate are essential nutrients to phytoplankton cells as they need phospholipids to exists. To much phosphate in an area can cause hypoxia or eutrophication. Bedwell had high levels of phosphate in the bottom of station 40 which can be attributed to the vacation resorts in that area.

Image carousel of concentrations of Silicate in bottom, chlorophyll maximum, and surface waters in Bedwell Inlet

Silicates are directly related to diatoms because their skeletal structures are composed of silicates. We see the same pattern as nitrates, higher concentrations at the surface towards the mouth of the inlet and high concentration of bottom nutrients at the head of the inlet. Phytoplankton tend to live at about 10 meters below the water surface and they consume the silicate for their body building materials. Again, we see that the northern inlets have much higher concentrations than Bedwell and Tofino.

Water Property Sections

Temperature (°C)

Salinity (parts/thousand)

Density (kg/m³)

The bottom water temperature was recorded at 14.5 degree Celsius with most of the cold water sitting in the bottom of station 40 and 41. Compared to the other inlets, Bedwell resembles Tofino, with higher temperatures and salinity than the Northern inlets. Bedwell is at 30.5 ppt, slightly saltier than Tofino's bottom layer by 1 ppt. Higher density in the bottom correlates with temperature gradient and salinity.

Fluorescence (mg/m³)

Transmisivity (%)

Dissolved Oxygen (mL/L)

The low oxygen conditions at the bottom of station 40 indicated that old water was stuck in the bottom awaiting to be flushed out. The higher levels of oxygen on the top are due to phytoplankton. The patch of phytoplankton at the top 10 meters of the surface are responsible for producing the oxygen show near the surface. Resembling Tofino, the concentration of phytoplankton moved towards the inlet.

Page developed by Erick Roca

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