Comparative hydrodynamics of a sub-tropical salt-wedge estuary and a tributary

The lower main channel of the Fraser River, British Columbia, is a sand-bed, salt-wedge estuary in which variations in velocity, discharge, and bedform characteristics are contolled by river discharge and the tides. Bed-material composition remains consistent over the discharge season and in the long term. Changes in bedform height and length follow but lag behind seasonal fluctuations in river discharge. Migration rates of bedforms respond more directly to river discharge and tidal fall than do height and length. Bedform characteristics were utilized to estimate bedload transport in the estuary, and a strong, direct, but very sensitive relationship was found between bed load and river discharge. Annual bedload transport in the estuary is estimated to be of the order of 0.35 Mt in 1986. Bedload transport in the estuary appears to be higher than in reaches upstream, possibly because of an increase in sediment movement along the bed to compensate for a reduction in suspended bed-material load produced by tidal slack water and the salt wedge.

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Adjustment and extension of the Hansen and Rattray estuarine classification diagram

Journal of Physical Oceanography ◽

10.1175/jpo-d-21-0021.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yoeri M. Dijkstra ◽

Henk M. Schuttelaars

Keyword(s):

Analytical Model ◽

Salt Wedge ◽

Model Solutions ◽

Estuarine Salinity ◽

Classic Papers

AbstractThe classification diagram developed by Hansen and Rattray (1966, Limnol. Oceanogr.) is one of the classic papers on classification of estuarine salinity dynamics. However, we found several inconsistencies in both their stratification-circulation and estuarine classification diagrams. These findings considerably change the interpretation of their work. Furthermore, while their classification includes salt wedge estuaries, the model used to derive this is only applicable to well-mixed and partially mixed estuaries. Here, we identify and solve these inconsistencies, and we propose new adjusted and extended stratification-circulation and classification diagrams. To this end, we summarise the model of Hansen and Rattray and extend their work to find analytical model solutions and an adjusted stratification-circulation diagram. Using this new diagram, it is shown that Hansen and Rattray incorrectly discussed the behaviour of dispersion dominated estuaries and that several parts of the diagram correspond to physically unrealistic model solutions. This is then used to demonstrate that several estuarine classes identified by Hansen and Rattray correspond to physically unrealistic model solutions and can therefore not be interpreted. A new and extended classification is proposed by using a recently developed model that extends the work of Hansen and Rattray to salt wedge estuaries. This results in an extended estuarine classification including examples of the location of 12 estuaries in this new diagram.

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Formation of Concentrated Benthic Suspension in a Time-Dependent Salt Wedge Estuary

Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans ◽

10.1029/2018jc013876 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 123 (11) ◽

pp. 8581-8607 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jianzhong Ge ◽

Zaiyang Zhou ◽

Wanlun Yang ◽

Pingxing Ding ◽

Changsheng Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Time Dependent ◽

Salt Wedge

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Physical Model of Estuarine Salinity Intrusion into Rivers: A Review

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.905.348 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 905 ◽

pp. 348-352 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nuryazmeen Farhan Haron ◽

Wardah Tahir

Keyword(s):

Physical Model ◽

Physical Models ◽

Salinity Intrusion ◽

Mixing Process ◽

Salt Wedge ◽

Laboratory Investigations ◽

Estuarine Salinity

This paper reviews the physical models that had been used in order to conduct the experiment of estuarine salinity intrusion into rivers. Several studies used the physical models to get a better understanding of the estuary salinity mixing process and salt-wedge estuary characteristics along the flume. Besides, the laboratory investigations using the physical model also useful for verification purposes as discussed by previous researchers.

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