Print Email Facebook Twitter Study of Lateral Flow in a Stratified Tidal Channel-Shoal System Title Study of Lateral Flow in a Stratified Tidal Channel-Shoal System: The Importance of Intratidal Salinity Variation Author Zhou, Z. (TU Delft Coastal Engineering; East China Normal University) Ge, Jianzhong (East China Normal University; Institute of Eco-Chongming (IEC)) Wang, Zhengbing (TU Delft Coastal Engineering; Deltares) van Maren, D.S. (TU Delft Environmental Fluid Mechanics; Deltares) Ma, Jianfei (East China Normal Univeristy) Ding, Ping Xing (East China Normal Univeristy) Date 2019 Abstract Lateral flow significantly contributes to the near-bottom mass transport of salinity in a channel-shoal system. In this study, an integrated tripod system was deployed in the transition zone of a channel-shoal system of the Changjiang Estuary (CE), China, to observe the near-bottom physics with high temporal/spatial resolution, particularly focusing on the lateral-flow-induced mass transport. These in situ observations revealed a small-scale salinity fluctuation around low water slack during moderate and spring tidal conditions. A simultaneous strong lateral current was also observed, which was responsible for this small-scale fluctuation. A high-resolution unstructured-grid Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model has been applied for the CE to better understand the mechanism of this lateral flow and its impact on salinity transport. The model results indicate that a significant southward near-bed shoal-to-channel current is generated by the salinity-driven baroclinic pressure gradient. This lateral current affects the salinity transport pattern and the residual current in the cross-channel direction. Cross-channel residual current shows a two-layer structure in the vertical, especially in the intermediate tide when the lateral flow notably occurred. Both observation and model results indicate that near-bottom residual transport of water moved consistently southward (shoal to channel). Mechanisms for this intratidal salinity variation and its implications can be extended to other estuaries with similar channel-shoal features. Subject channel-shoal systemlateral flowmomentum balancesalinity To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:99827774-7669-47aa-8f38-d57156c4dddc DOI https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015307 Embargo date 2020-02-29 ISSN 2169-9275 Source Journal Of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 124 (9), 6702-6719 Bibliographical note Accepted Author Manuscript Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2019 Z. Zhou, Jianzhong Ge, Zhengbing Wang, D.S. van Maren, Jianfei Ma, Ping Xing Ding Files PDF Paper_1_Zhou_revision_final.pdf 2.57 MB PDF Zhou_et_al_2019_Journal_o ... Oceans.pdf 3.65 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:99827774-7669-47aa-8f38-d57156c4dddc/datastream/OBJ1/view