scholarly journals Temporal and Spatial Variability Scales of Salinity at a Large Microtidal Estuary

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 860
Author(s):  
Michelle Jackson ◽  
Gianfranco Sienra ◽  
Pablo Santoro ◽  
Mónica Fossati
Keyword(s):  
Salt Transport ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variability ◽  
Rio De La Plata ◽  
Río De La Plata ◽  
Salinity Field ◽  
Salinity Stratification ◽  
La Plata ◽  
Southwestern Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Large Width ◽  
Estuarine Hydrodynamics

The Río de la Plata is a large fluvial–estuarine–sea system discharging into the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, which has relevant features such as high fluvial discharge, microtidal astronomical tidal scales, a relevant meteorological tide, and a strong atmospheric forcing effect, due to its large width. The objective of this study is to advance the understanding of the estuarine hydrodynamics and salt transport, as well as discussing the main characteristics of the spatiotemporal variability of the salinity field. To achieve this, the results of a 3D model of the Río de la Plata and its maritime front were used, simulating an extensive period of 10 years. In this study, the model was validated using vertical salinity profiles collected at different locations in the estuary. The temporal variability of the salinity stratification was characterised at different temporal scales: annual, monthly, and storm. At the same time, the influences of fluvial flow and winds were determined. The correlation analysis between fluvial flow and the salinity field showed that high annual fluvial flows generate an extension of the freshwater area, with larger longitudinal salinity gradients and a shift of the salinity front towards the ocean. The tendency at the monthly scale is not as clear as that observed at the annual scale. The results show that the effect of a storm coming from the northwest is quite similar to that of storms coming from the southwest, especially in the central and southern zones of the Río de la Plata, where mixing increases and stratification decreases, according to the intensity of the storm. The effect of south–southeasterly storms increases the mixing process and reduces stratification; the opposite effect was identified with respect to northeasterly storms, under the influence of which the stratified area increases. Synthesising the obtained results, a global zonification of the vertical salinity stratification for the Río de la Plata is proposed.

scholarly journals An empirical remote sensing algorithm for retrieving total suspended matter in a large estuarine region

2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Martina D. Camiolo ◽  
Ezequiel Cozzolino ◽  
Ana I. Dogliotti ◽  
Claudia G. Simionato ◽  
Carlos A. Lasta
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Suspended Particulate Matter ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Biological Study ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Rio De La Plata ◽  
Río De La Plata ◽  
La Plata ◽  
Suspended Particulate ◽  
Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

The Río de la Plata is a large, shallow estuary located at approximately 35°S and flowing into the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. It carries a high amount of nutrients and suspended particulate matter, both organic and inorganic, to the adjacent shelf waters and is considered among the most turbid estuarine systems in the world. Knowledge of the concentration and spatial and temporal variability of these materials is critical for any biological study in the Río de la Plata. In this work, the relationship between suspended particulate matter and turbidity is empirically established in order to derive suspended particulate matter maps from satellite data (MODIS-Aqua) for the Río de la Plata region. A strong correlation between suspended particulate matter and turbidity was found (Pearson correlation coefficient =0.91) and the linear regression (slope =0.76 and intercepts =12.78, R2=0.83) explained 83% of the variance. The validation of the empirical algorithm, using co-located and coincident satellite and in situ measurements, showed good results with a low mean absolute error (14.60%) and a small and positive bias (3.04%), indicating that the estimated suspended particulate matter values tend to slightly overestimate the field values.

scholarly journals Spatial patterns of mesozooplankton distribution in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (34°–41°S) during austral spring: relationship with the hydrographic conditions

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Marrari ◽  
María Delia Viñas ◽  
Patricia Martos ◽  
Daniel Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Area ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Shelf Area ◽  
Rio De La Plata ◽  
Río De La Plata ◽  
Mesozooplankton Community ◽  
La Plata ◽  
Southwestern Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Hydrographic Conditions ◽  
Group A

Abstract The mesozooplankton community was analysed in a large region of the Argentine Shelf (34°–41°S) on the main spring spawning ground of the anchovy (Engraulis anchoita), and its spatial pattern was related to the hydrographic conditions. Copepods smaller than 1 mm dominated the community. Three faunistic areas were identified by cluster analysis: northern coastal area (NCA), southern coastal area (SCA), and shelf area (SA), each with distinct physical conditions. The NCA, influenced by the Río de la Plata estuary, had relatively high temperature, the lowest salinity, and the highest stratification values. The SCA had the highest salinity and a vertically homogeneous water column. The SA, vertically stratified, was influenced by the Río de la Plata estuary and by Subantarctic shelf waters and had the lowest temperature values and the greatest depths. Canonical correlation analysis was used to analyse the relationship between zooplankton and physical variables and four zooplankton assemblages were identified. Group A included the copepods Calanus australis, C. simillimus, Clausocalanus brevipes, Centropages brachiatus, Drepanopus forcipatus, Oithona atlantica, and O. helgolandica, and was preferentially distributed in the SA. Group B, composed of the copepods Acartia tonsa and Corycaeus spp. and the cladoceran Pleopis polyphemoides, showed a strong preference for the NCA. Group C included Labidocera fluviatilis, Ctenocalanus vanus, Paracalanus spp., Calanoides cf. carinatus, Euterpina acutifrons, Oithona nana, and the cladoceran Evadne nordmanni, and was preferentially distributed in coastal areas (NCA and SCA). Group D only included the cladoceran Podon intermedius and was mainly located in high salinity waters of the SCA. Small, omnivorous, fast-reproducing species (groups B, D, and most of C) are better adapted to warmer variable and less productive coastal areas, whereas larger herbivorous species (most of group A) seem to better exploit colder stratified and more productive shelf waters. The mesozooplankton community provides adequate food for E. anchoita larvae in coastal areas and for adults in shelf waters.

scholarly journals CLIMATIC OSCILLATIONS MODULATING THE LATE HOLOCENE FLUVIAL DISCHARGE AND TERRIGENOUS MATERIAL SUPPLY FROM THE RÍO DE LA PLATA INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN / INFLUÊNCIA DE OSCILAÇÕES CLIMÁTICAS DO HOLOCÊNICO TERMINAL NA DESCARGA FLUVIAL DO RIO DE LA PLATA E NO FORNECIMENTO TERRIGENO AO OCEANO ATLÂNTICO SUDOESTE

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Perez ◽  
Carolina Crisci ◽  
Till Jens Jörg Hanebuth ◽  
Hendrik Lantzsch ◽  
Gonzalo Perera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Rio De La Plata ◽  
Solar Forcing ◽  
Río De La Plata ◽  
La Plata ◽  
The Past ◽  
Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

The Río de la Plata estuary (RdlP) and adjacent continental shelf exhibit complex hydrological processes as a result of a highly variable fluvial discharge and associated terrigenous supply, which are primarily controlled by regional climatic forcing in interaction with the oceanographic system. Previous hydrological studies indicate that Little Ice Age and Medieval Climate Anomaly resulted in increased/decreased river runoff due to an enhanced/weakened precipitation regime. This study aims to analyze the cyclicity in the runoff-related continental supply and the associated climatic oscillation behind it over the past 1,000 cal yr BP. To achieve this, we used a 10-m-long sediment core retrieved from the RdlP mud depocenter, which exhibits an extremely high and fairly constant linear sedimentation rate of 1.1 cm yr-1. We performed continuous 1-cm XRF element intensity scans and performed time series analysis on Fe/K, Ti/Al, Fe/Ca, Ti/Ca and Si/Al ratios, considered as regional proxies for inferring fluvial supply. The most significant cyclicities occur at 215, 192, 115, 100, 49, 47, 37, 35, and 2.5-8 yrs recurrence times. The long-term cyclicity is persistent throughout the whole record for all ratios, and it is probably related to solar forcing, i.e., the 200 yr Vries/Suess cycle, which determines the activity of the South American Monsoon System activity. The shorter climate-related cyclicities (˂100 yr) are probably related to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the El Niño Southern Oscillation climatic modes, and were registered only for Ti/Al, Fe/K and Si/Al ratios. We further identified an intensification of such shorter climate-related cyclicities over the past 500 yr BP. This study provides new evidence that both tropical Pacific and Atlantic SSTs and solar forcing are the main drivers of changes in rainfall over Southeastern South America on interannual to decadal, multidecadal and centennial scales, and thus modulates the RdlP river discharge. ResumoO estuário do Río de la Plata (RdlP) e a plataforma continental adjacente exibem processos hidrológicos complexos, controlados principalmente pela forçante climática regional em interação com o sistema oceanográfico, o que resulta em grande variabilidade da descarga fluvial e do fornecimento de materiais terrígenos ao sistema oceânico. Estudos hidrológicos anteriores indicam que a Pequena Idade do Gelo e a Anomalia Climática Medieval resultaram no aumento / diminuição do escoamento do rio devido a um regime de precipitação aumentado/ enfraquecido. Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar a ciclicidade no fornecimento continental condicionada por oscilações climáticas nos últimos 1.000 anos e com mudanças no caudal do RdlP. Com este objetivo, foi estudado um testemunho de sedimentos, com 10 m de comprimento, obtido no depósito lodoso do RdlP. O testemunho apresenta uma taxa de acumulação extremamente alta e razoavelmente constante de 1,1 cm ano-1. Foram efetuadas análises elementares de XRF, com resolução de 1 cm, das razões Fe/K, Ti/Al, Fe/Ca, Ti/Ca e Si/Al, consideradas como proxies regionais para inferência de suprimento fluvial. As ciclicidades de recorrência mais significativas ocorreram há 215, 192, 115, 100, 49, 47, 37, 35 e 2,5-8 anos. A ciclicidade mais longas, persentes ao longo de todo o registro, estão provavelmente relacionadas com o forçamento solar, ou seja, com o ciclo de 200 anos de Vries/Suess, que determina a atividade do Sistema de Monção Sul-Americana. As ciclidades mais curtas (˂100 anos) estão provavelmente relacionadas com a Oscilação Multidecadal Atlântica, Oscilação Decadal do Pacífico e fenômeno El Niño-Oscilação Sul, tendo sido registrados por mudanças nos valores das razões Ti/Al, Fe/K e Si/Al. Além disso, identificámos uma intensificação de tais ciclicidades, relacionadas com o clima, nos últimos 500 anos BP. Este estudo fornece novas evidências de que tanto as temperaturas superficiais do oceano Pacífico e Atlântico tropicais, como o forçamento solar, são as causas principais responsáveis pelas mudanças na precipitação no sudeste da América do Sul, á escala interanual a decadal, multidecadal e centenária, e modulam a descarga do Río de la Plata.

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