Influence of Wind on Subtidal Salt Intrusion and Stratification in Well-Mixed and Partially Stratified Estuaries

An idealized width-averaged model is employed to study the influence of wind stress on subtidal salt intrusion and stratification in well-mixed and partially stratified estuaries. We show that even in mild conditions, wind forcing can influence the estuarine salinity structure in a substantial way. By studying the role of wind forcing on...

Adjustment and Extension of the Hansen and Rattray Estuarine Classification Diagram

The classification diagram developed by Hansen and Rattray 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...

A unifying approach to subtidal salt intrusion modeling in tidal estuaries

The salinity structure in estuaries is classically described in terms of the salinity structure as well mixed, partially mixed, or salt wedge. The existing knowledge about the processes that result in such salinity structures comes from highly idealized models that are restricted to either well-mixed and partially mixed cases or subtidal salt...

Time Evolution of Estuarine Turbidity Maxima in Well-Mixed, Tidally Dominated Estuaries: The Role of Availability- and Erosion-Limited Conditions

Using an idealized width-averaged process-based model, the role of a mud pool on the bed and time-varying river discharge on the trapping of fine sediment is systematically investigated. For this purpose, a dynamically and physically motivated description of erodibility is presented, which relates the amount of sediment on the bed to the...