scholarly journals Exchange Flows in Tributary Creeks Enhance Dispersion by Tidal Trapping

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Mikhail P. Garcia ◽  
W. Rockwell Geyer ◽  
Noa Randall
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Marsh ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Main Channel ◽  
Salt Flux ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Exchange Flow ◽  
Salt Balance ◽  
The North ◽  
Salinity Anomaly

Abstract The North River estuary (Massachusetts, USA) is a tidal marsh creek network where tidal dispersion processes dominate the salt balance. A field study using moorings, shipboard measurements, and drone surveys was conducted to characterize and quantify tidal trapping due to tributary creeks. During flood tide, saltwater propagates up the main channel and gets “trapped” in the creeks. The creeks inherit an axial salinity gradient from the time-varying salinity at their boundary with the main channel, but it is stronger than the salinity gradient of the main channel because of relatively weaker currents. The stronger salinity gradient drives a baroclinic circulation that stratifies the creeks, while the main channel remains well-mixed. Because of the creeks’ shorter geometries, tidal currents in the creeks lead those in the main channel; therefore, the creeks never fill with the saltiest water which passes the main channel junction. This velocity phase difference is enhanced by the exchange flow in the creeks, which fast-tracks the fresher surface layer in the creeks back to the main channel. Through ebb tide, the relatively fresh creek outflows introduce a negative salinity anomaly into the main channel, where it is advected downstream by the tide. Using high-resolution measurements, we empirically determine the salinity anomaly in the main channel resulting from its exchange with the creeks to calculate a dispersion rate due to trapping. Our dispersion rate is larger than theoretical estimates that neglect the exchange flow in the creeks. Trapping contributes more than half the landward salt flux in this region.

scholarly journals Effects of Tidal Range Variability and Local Morphology on Hydrodynamic Behavior and Salinity Structure in the Caeté River Estuary, North Brazil

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geórgenes H. Cavalcante ◽  
David A. Feary ◽  
Björn Kjerfve
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Salt Transport ◽  
Stokes Drift ◽  
Salt Flux ◽  
Tidal Range ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Vertical Diffusion ◽  
The North ◽  
North Brazil

Tidal influence and local morphology on circulation and salt transport are investigated in the Caeté river estuary, a well-mixed estuary along the north coast of Brazil. Velocity, temperature, and salinity data were collected in three different locations along the estuary’s main channel, over three single, 13 h tidal cycles. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between tidal distortion and salinity by using classical methods of comparison of three cross-channel circulation characteristics, as well as computation of salt flux and vertical mixing. Findings indicate a flood-ebb asymmetry in currents, due to the distinct funneling morphology of the estuary, with shallow marginal areas being dominant towards the estuary head, while both stratification and shear dominate near the estuary mouth. The tidal currents enhanced vertical diffusion in the mid- and lower reaches, explaining the prevailing weakly stratified conditions, while the dominant well-mixed conditions in the upper estuary are a result of a combination of stronger flood currents and negligible vertical saline gradient. The predominant downstream salt transport supports the conclusion that there is little accumulation of salt in the Caeté river estuary. In addition, findings indicate that tidal correlation and Stokes drift are important components in the upper estuary, while tidal correlation played an important role in the middle estuary, with fluvial discharge most important in the lower estuary.

Simulation of Salinity Changes Induced by Man-Made Sea Embankment

2014 ◽  
Vol 989-994 ◽  
pp. 1244-1247
Author(s):  
Ting Xu
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Salinity Changes ◽  
The North ◽  
Wenzhou Shoal ◽  
Salinity Difference ◽  
Sea Area

Understanding the salinity transport mechanism in the estuaries is of great importance for coastal engineering, disaster prevention, water security and intertidal zone aquiculture.In this paper,the large-scale sea embankment in the Oujiang River Estuary (ORE) of Wenzhou shoal was taken as an example.Based on the intoduction of the study area,the 3D marine numerical model (EFDC) was setup and used for simulation of salinity changes induced by the embankment. The results indicated that the ORE is well-mixed estuary. The Ling-Ni Embankment designed in accordance with the flow direction makes the freshwater inflow reach far away, the salinity gradient increase, and the tongue contour reach further. The salinity difference of the north and south side of the embankment sea area is increased.

scholarly journals Calculating Estuarine Exchange Flow Using Isohaline Coordinates*

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1116-1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parker MacCready
Keyword(s):  
Residence Time ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Salt Flux ◽  
Exchange Flow ◽  
Exact Formulation ◽  
Volume Flux ◽  
Columbia River Estuary ◽  
Estuarine Exchange

Abstract A method for calculating subtidal estuarine exchange flow using an isohaline framework is described, and the results are compared with those of the more commonly used Eulerian method of salt flux decomposition. Concepts are explored using a realistic numerical simulation of the Columbia River estuary. The isohaline method is found to be advantageous because it intrinsically highlights the salinity classes in which subtidal volume flux occurs. The resulting expressions give rise to an exact formulation of the time-dependent Knudsen relation and may be used in calculation of the saltwater residence time. The volume flux of the landward transport, which can be calculated precisely using the isohaline framework, is of particular importance for problems in which the saltwater residence time is critical.

Sources of Chlorophenolic Compounds to the Fraser River Estuary

1988 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Carey ◽  
J. H. Hart
Keyword(s):  
River Flow ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Pulp Mills ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Downstream Site ◽  
Upstream Site ◽  
The North ◽  
Main River

Abstract The identity and concentrations of chlorophenolic compounds in the Fraser River estuary were determined under conditions of high and low river flow at three sites: a site upstream from the trifurcation and at downstream sites for each main river arm. Major chlorophenolics present under both flow regimes were 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol (2,3,4,6-TeCP), pentachlorophenol (PCP), tetrachloroguaiacol (TeCG) and a compound tentatively identified as 3,4,5-trichloroguaiacol (3,4,5-TCG). Under high flow conditions, concentrations of the guaiacols were higher than any of the Chlorophenols and concentrations of all five chlorophenolics appeared to correlate. Under low flow conditions, concentrations of chloroguaiacols were higher than Chlorophenols at the upstream site and at the downstream site on the Main Arm, whereas at the downstream site on the North Arm, concentrations of 2,3,4,6-TeCP and PCP were higher than the chloroguaiacols in some samples. Overall, the results indicate that pulp mills upstream from the estuary are important sources of chlorophenolics to the estuary under all flow conditions. Additional episodic inputs of 2,3,4,6-TeCP and PCP from lumber mills occur along the North Arm. When these inputs occur, they can cause the concentrations of Chlorophenols in the North Arm to exceed provisional objectives. If chloroguaiacols are included as part of the objective, concentrations of total chlorophenolics in water entering the estuary can approach and exceed these objectives, especially under low flow conditions.

scholarly journals Salinity and freshwater discharge determine rotifer distribution at the Mossoró River Estuary (Semiarid Region of Brazil)

2010 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
AMA. Medeiros ◽  
JEL. Barbosa ◽  
PR. Medeiros ◽  
RM. Rocha ◽  
LF. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Freshwater Discharge ◽  
The Other ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Inverse Estuary ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance

The present study aimed at evaluating differences in rotifer distribution in three estuarine zones in an inverse estuary located in the Semiarid Region of Brazil. Zones were chosen based on their proximity to the ocean and river border as a means of reflecting a horizontal salinity gradient. High freshwater discharge during the rainy season was the major determinant of rotifer composition. On the other hand, due to higher salinity values during the dry season, very low values of species richness and abundance were observed in all zones. Therefore, the study highlights the constraints of salinity and the positive influence of seasonality and river proximity on rotifer species in a semiarid estuarine environment.

Correlated Millennial-Scale Changes in Surface Hydrography and Terrigenous Sediment Yield Inferred from Last-Glacial Marine Deposits off Northeastern Brazil

1998 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helge W. Arz ◽  
Jürgen Pätzold ◽  
Gerold Wefer
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Salt Flux ◽  
Terrigenous Sediment ◽  
The North ◽  
North Brazil ◽  
The North Atlantic

The stable isotope composition of planktonic foraminifera correlates with evidence for pulses of terrigenous sediment in a sediment core from the upper continental slope off northeastern Brazil. Stable oxygen isotope records of the planktonic foraminiferal species Globigerinoides sacculiferand Globigerinoides ruber(pink) reveal sub-Milankovitch changes in sea-surface hydrography during the last 85,000 yr. Warming of the surface water coincided with terrigenous sedimentation pulses that are inferred from high XRF intensities of Ti and Fe, and which suggest humid conditions in northeast Brazil. These tropical signals correlate with climatic oscillations recorded in Greenland ice cores (Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles) and in sediment cores from the North Atlantic (Heinrich events). Trade winds may have caused changes in the North Brazil Current that altered heat and salt flux into the North Atlantic, thus affecting the growth and decay of the large glacial ice sheets.

Impact of mesoscale eddies on salinity and CO2 ocean parameters in the western tropical Atlantic in February 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Léa Olivier ◽  
Jacqueline Boutin ◽  
Nathalie Lefèvre ◽  
Gilles Reverdin ◽  
Peter Landschützer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Sea Surface Salinity ◽  
Amazon River ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
Surface Salinity ◽  
The North ◽  
Brazil Current ◽  
North Brazil

<p>Large oceanic eddies are formed by the retroflection of the North Brazil Current (NBC) near 8°N in the western tropical Atlantic. The EUREC<sup>4</sup>A-OA/Atomic cruise took place in January - February 2020, and extensively documented two NBC rings. The NBC flows northward across the Equator and pass the mouth of the Amazon River, entraining fresh and nutrient-rich water along its nearshore edge. From December to March, the Amazon river discharge is low but a freshwater filament stirred by a NBC ring was nevertheless observed. The strong salinity gradient can be used to delineate the NBC ring during its initial phase and its westward propagation. Using satellite sea surface salinity and ocean color associated to in-situ measurements of salinity, temperature, dissolved inorganic carbon, alkalinity and fugacity of CO<sub>2</sub> we characterize the salinity and biogeochemical signature of NBC rings.</p>

Simulation to Investigate the Reasons for the Sediment Deposition in the Upper Reach of the Deepwater Navigation Channel in the Changjiang River Estuary

2012 ◽  
Vol 610-613 ◽  
pp. 1237-1241
Author(s):  
Jie Gu ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Xin Qin ◽  
Dan Qing Ma ◽  
Xiao Li Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Estuary ◽  
Sediment Deposition ◽  
Changjiang River ◽  
Changjiang River Estuary ◽  
The Changjiang River ◽  
The North ◽  
Velocity Magnitude ◽  
Navigation Channel ◽  
The Changjiang River Estuary ◽  
Set Up

At present, the upper reach of the Deepwater Navigation Channel is silted heavily, which brings negative influences on navigation. A two-dimensional numerical model is set up to simulate the hydrodynamics of the Changjiang River Estuary with Delft3D-FLOW in this paper. This model has been validated with the observed tidal level, flow velocity magnitude and direction, and the computed results agree well with the observed data, which also shows the model can well simulate the hydrodynamics of the Changjiang River Estuary caused by the Deepwater Navigation Channel Project. Based on the analysis of computed results, especially the velocity along the South Passage and North Passage, the flood and ebb flow in the Hengsha Passage, and the flow spilt ratio of South Passage and North Passage, it presents that one fundamental reason for the sediment deposition in the upper reach of the Deepwater Navigation Channel is that the velocity along the North Passage is far less than that along South Passage, above all, the velocity in North Passage upstream of the Hengsha Passage is even smaller; another reason is that the flood and ebb flow of Hengsha Passage are large, which weakens the water exchange between the North Passage and South Channel.

scholarly journals Wind forcing of salinity anomalies in the Denmark Strait overflow

Ocean Science ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 821-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Hall ◽  
S. R. Dye ◽  
K. J. Heywood ◽  
M. R. Wadley
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean General Circulation Model ◽  
Mixing Processes ◽  
East Greenland ◽  
The North ◽  
East Greenland Current ◽  
Denmark Strait ◽  
Salinity Anomaly

Abstract. The overflow of dense water from the Nordic Seas to the North Atlantic through Denmark Strait is an important part of the global thermohaline circulation. The salinity of the overflow plume has been measured by an array of current meters across the continental slope off the coast of Angmagssalik, southeast Greenland since September 1998. During 2004 the salinity of the overflow plume changed dramatically; the entire width of the array (70 km) freshened between January 2004 and July 2004, with a significant negative salinity anomaly of about 0.06 in May. The event in May represents a fresh anomaly of over 3 standard deviations from the mean since recording began in 1998. The OCCAM 1/12° Ocean General Circulation Model not only reproduces the 2004 freshening event (r=0.96, p<0.01), but also correlates well with salinity observations over a previous 6 year period (r=0.54, p<0.01), despite the inevitable limitations of a z-coordinate model in representing the mixing processes at and downstream of the Denmark Strait sill. Consequently the physical processes causing the 2004 anomaly and prior variability in salinity are investigated using the model output. Our results reject the hypotheses that the anomaly is caused by processes occurring between the overflow sill and the moorings, or by an increase in upstream net freshwater input. Instead, we show that the 2004 salinity anomaly is caused by an increase in volume flux of low salinity water, with a potential density greater than 27.60 kg m−3, flowing towards the Denmark Strait sill in the East Greenland Current. This is caused by an increase in southward wind stress upstream of the sill at around 75° N 20° W four and a half months earlier, and an associated strengthening of the East Greenland Current.

scholarly journals Shifts of Bacterioplankton Metabolic Profiles along the Salinity Gradient in a Subtropical Estuary

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidetoshi Urakawa ◽  
Jaffar Ali ◽  
Rheannon D. J. Ketover ◽  
Spencer D. Talmage ◽  
Juan C. Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Metabolic Profiles ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Biolog Ecoplates ◽  
Utilization Patterns ◽  
Subtropical Estuary ◽  
Discharge Patterns ◽  
Bacterioplankton Communities

Understanding the biodegradation potential of river bacterioplankton communities is crucial for watershed management. We investigated the shifts in bacterioplankton metabolic profiles along the salinity gradient of the Caloosahatchee River Estuary, Florida. The carbon source utilization patterns of river bacterioplankton communities were determined by using Biolog EcoPlates. The number of utilized substrates was generally high in the upstream freshwater dominated zone and low in the downstream zone, suggesting a shift in metabolic profiles among bacterioplankton assemblages along the estuarine gradient. The prokaryotic cell numbers also decreased along the estuarine salinity gradient. Seasonal and site-specific differences were found in the numbers of utilized substrates, which were similar in summer and fall (wet season) and winter and spring (dry season). Bacterioplankton assemblages in summer and fall showed more versatile substrate utilization patterns than those of winter and spring communities. Therefore, our data suggest that microbial metabolic patterns in the subtropical estuary are likely influenced by the water discharge patterns created by dry and wet seasons along the salinity gradient.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document