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1.
On the vertical structure of the Rhine region of freshwater influence   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  
An idealised three-dimensional numerical model of the Rhine region of fresh water influence (ROFI) was set up to explore the effect of stratification on the vertical structure of the tidal currents. Prandle’s dynamic Ekman layer model, in the case of zero-depth-averaged, cross-shore velocities, was first used to validate the response of the numerical model in the case of barotropic tidal flow. Prandle’s model predicted rectilinear tidal currents with an ellipse veering of up to 2%. The behaviour of the Rhine ROFI in response to both a neap and a spring tide was then investigated. For the given numerical specifications, the Rhine plume region was well mixed over the vertical on spring tide and stratified on neap tide. During spring conditions, rectilinear tidal surface currents were found along the Dutch coast. In contrast, during neap conditions, significant cross-shore currents and tidal straining were observed. Prandle’s model predicted ellipse veering of 50%, and was found to be a good indicator of ellipticity magnitude as a function of bulk vertical eddy viscosity. The modelled tidal ellipses showed that surface currents rotated anti-cyclonically whereas bottom currents rotated cyclonically. This caused a semi-diurnal cross-shore velocity shearing which was 90° out of phase with the alongshore currents. This cross-shore shear subsequently acted on the horizontal density gradient in the plume, thereby causing a semi-diurnal stratification pattern, with maximum stratification around high water. The same behaviour was exhibited in simulations of a complete spring–neap tidal cycle. This showed a pattern of recurring stratification on neaps and de-stratification on springs, in accordance with observations collected from field campaigns in the 1990’s. To understand the increase in ellipticities to 30% during neaps and the precise shape of the vertical ellipse structure, stratification has to be taken into account. Here, a full three-dimensional numerical model was employed, and was found to represent the effect of de-coupling of the upper and lower layers due to a reduction of mixing at the pycnocline.  相似文献   

2.
Two very high-frequency radars (VHFR) operating on the Opal coast of eastern English Channel provided a nearly continuous 35-day long dataset of surface currents over a 500 km2 area at 0.6–1.8 km resolution. Argo drifter tracking and CTD soundings complemented the VHFR observations, which extended approximately 25 km offshore. The radar data resolve three basic modes of the surface velocity variation in the area, that are driven by tides, winds and freshwater fluxes associated with seasonal river discharge. The first mode, accounting for 90% of variability, is characterized by an along-shore flow pattern, whereas the second and third modes exhibit cross-shore, and eddy-like structures in the current velocity field. All the three modes show the dominant semi-diurnal variability and low-frequency modulation by the neap-spring tidal cycle. Although tidal forcing provides the major contribution to variability of local currents, baroclinicity plays an important role in shaping the 3D velocity field averaged over the tidal cycle and may strongly affect tracer dynamics on larger time scales. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) decomposition and a spectral rotary analysis of the VHFR data reveal a discontinuity in the velocity field occurring approximately 10 km offshore which was caused by the reversal in the sign of rotation of the current vector. This feature of local circulation is responsible for surface current convergence on ebb, divergence on flood and strong oscillatory vertical motion. Spectral analysis of the observed currents and the results of the Agro drifter tracking indicate that the line of convergence approximately follows the 30-m isobath. The most pronounced feature of the radar-derived residual circulation is the along-coast intensification of surface currents with velocity magnitude of 0.25 m/s typical for the Regions of Freshwater Influence (ROFI). The analysis has provided a useful, exploratory examination of surface currents, suggesting that the circulation off the Opal coast is governed by ROFI dynamics on the hypertidal background.  相似文献   

3.
This study identifies and unravels the processes that lead to stratification and destratification in the far field of a Region of Freshwater Influence (ROFI). We present measurements that are novel for two reasons: (1) measurements were carried out with two vessels that sailed simultaneously over two cross-shore transects; (2) the measurements were carried out in the far field of the Rhine ROFI, 80 km downstream from the river mouth. This unique four dimensional dataset allows the application of the 3D potential energy anomaly equation for one of the first times on field data. With this equation, the relative importance of the depth mean advection, straining and nonlinear processes over one tidal cycle is assessed. The data shows that the Rhine ROFI extends 80 km downstream and periodic stratification is observed. The analysis not only shows the important role of cross-shore tidal straining but also the significance of along-shore straining and depth mean advection. In addition, the nonlinear terms seem to be small. The presence of all the terms influences the timing of maximum stratification. The analysis also shows that the importance of each term varies in the cross-shore direction. One of the most interesting findings is that the data are not inline with several hypotheses on the functioning of straining and advection in ROFIs. This highlights the dynamic behaviour of the Rhine ROFI, which is valuable for understanding the distribution of fine sediments, contaminants and the protection of coasts.  相似文献   

4.
Understanding the fate of freshwater runoff and corresponding nutrient and pollution loads is of critical importance for the development of accurate predictive models and coastal management tools. A key element of such studies is the identification and understanding of the interaction between stratification and current structure. This paper presents a new series of measurements made in the Liverpool Bay region of freshwater influence (ROFI) during spring 2004 where freshwater-maintained horizontal density gradients and strong tidal currents interact to produce strain-induced periodic stratification (SIPS). During stratification, tidal current profiles are significantly modified such that the tidal flow deviates from the otherwise rectilinear E–W axis generating counter rotating upper and lower mixed layers. This feature has often been reported for the Rhine ROFI but not previously identified in Liverpool Bay despite previous investigation at this site. Investigation of an ongoing long-term dataset collected nearby reveals this process to be a common feature throughout the year. Liverpool Bay is shown to maintain three different regimes, long term mixed, long term stratified, and a transitional state when SIPS occurs. The phase of SIPS relative to the tide results in a residual flow away from the Welsh coastline in the upper water column of 2.3–3.6 cm s−1 with a counterflow in the lower layer of 2.8–3.1 cm s−1 towards the coast.  相似文献   

5.
Thermal and optical remote sensing data were used to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of sea surface temperature (SST) and of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the southern North Sea. Monthly SST composites showed pronounced seasonal warming of the southern North Sea and delineated the English coastal and continental coastal waters. The East-Anglia Plume is the dominant feature of the English coastal waters in the winter and autumn SPM composites, and the Rhine region of freshwater influence (ROFI), including the Flemish Banks, is the dominant feature of the continental waters. These mesoscale spatial structures are also influenced by the evolution of fronts, such as the seasonal front separating well-mixed water in the southern Bight, from the seasonally stratified central North Sea waters. A harmonic analysis of the SST and SPM images showed pronounced seasonal variability, as well as spring-neap variations in the level of tidal mixing in the East Anglia Plume, the Rhine ROFI and central North Sea. The harmonic analysis indicates the important role played by the local meteorology and tides in governing the SST and near-surface SPM concentrations in the southern North Sea. In the summer, thermal stratification affects the visibility of SPM to satellite sensors in the waters to the north of the Flamborough and Frisian Fronts. Haline stratification plays an important role in the visibility of SPM in the Rhine ROFI throughout the year. When stratified, both regions typically exhibit low surface SPM values. A numerical model study, together with the harmonic analysis, highlights the importance of tides and waves in controlling the stratification in the southern North Sea and hence the visibility of SPM.  相似文献   

6.
A three-dimensional, prognostic, wave–tide–circulation coupled numerical model is developed to study the effects of tidal mixing on the summertime vertical circulation in the Yellow Sea (YS). The distribution and mechanisms of upwelling are investigated by numerical means. Validated by historical tide gauge data, satellite sea surface temperature (SST) data, and cruise observation data, the model shows satisfactory performances in reproducing the dominant tidal system and three-dimensional sea temperature structure. Model results suggest that strong tidal mixing plays an important role in the formation of the vertical circulation in the YS. The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) is fringed by typical tidal mixing fronts (TMFs), which separate the cold, stratified water at the offshore side from the warm, well-mixed, shallow water at the other side. Considerable baroclinic gradient across the TMF makes the frontal zone the spot where the most active vertical circulation occurs; a secondary circulation is triggered with a distinct upwelling branch occurring mainly on the mixed side of the front. The numerical model produces systematic upwelling belts surrounding the YSCWM, and the upwelling is essentially induced by the TMF over sloping topography. The relative importance of tidal mixing and wind forcing for upwelling is further examined in numerical experiments. The southerly wind enhances the upwelling off the western coasts, but its overall influences in the whole YS are less important than tidal mixing. As shown by both satellite data and numerical modeling, the summertime SST field in the YS is featured by the stable existence of several site-selective surface cold patches (SCPs), most of which scatter in the waters off convex coastlines. One of the SCPs is found off Subei Bank, and the others are located off the eastern tip of Shandong Peninsula and off the three tips of Korean Peninsula. Two processes give rise to the SCP: on the one hand, TMF-induced upwelling supplies cold water from the deep layer; on the other hand, tidal mixing itself can stir the bottom water upward and homogenize the water column vertically. In the waters around the tips of peninsula in the YS, the tidal currents are extraordinarily strong, which provides a possible explanation for the site-selectivity of the SCPs.  相似文献   

7.
We investigate mixing processes under stratified conditions on the Northwest European Continental shelf using a numerical model (POLCOMS). Our results indicate that convection induced by vertical shearing of horizontal density gradients (‘shear-induced convection’) is a regularly occurring feature in the bottom and surface boundary layers in this open shelf-sea situation. Two types of turbulence models are investigated to study their capability for reproducing the observed location of tidal mixing fronts, and the physical processes occurring in seasonally stratified waters. The first model is a one-equation variant of the Mellor–Yamada model, whereas the second model combines a more recent second-momentum closure with a two-equation model. It is found that generally mean frontal positions (as estimated from ICES data) are predicted more accurately by the two-equation model. The one-equation model reproduces the mean frontal locations to 18.1 km (<3 grid spacings) and the two-equation model to 17.1 km; although in the Celtic Sea the accuracy is ∼33 and ∼12 km, respectively. Comparison with historical tide gauges, current metres, CTD stations, and thermistor chain data from the North Sea Project all show an improvement in accuracy when the two-equation model is used. This is particularly apparent in the model's ability to reproduce the spring–neap variability during stratification. We find that in the presence of shear-induced convection the routinely applied clipping of the turbulent length-scale, previously thought to be a minor ingredient in a turbulence model, has a dramatic effect on the results: if the length-scale clipping is not applied, substantial over-mixing is observed to occur. The causes and possible remedies of this effect are investigated. Overall our results demonstrate a sensitivity to the details of the turbulence model that is significantly greater than previously thought.  相似文献   

8.
Bottom-mounted ADV and ADCP instruments in combination with CTD profiling measurements taken along the Chinese coast of the East China Sea were used to study the vertical structure of temperature, salinity, and velocity in reversing tidal currents on a shallow inner shelf and in rotating tidal flows over a deeper sloping bottom of the outer shelf. These two regimes of barotropic tide affect small-scale dynamics in the lower part of the water column differently. The reversing flow was superimposed by seiches of ∼2.3 h period generated in semienclosed Jiaozhou Bay located nearby. As the tidal vector rotates over the sloping bottom, the height of the near-bottom logarithmic layer is subjected to tidal-induced variations. A maximum of horizontal velocity Umax appears at the upper boundary of the log layer during the first half of the current vector rotation from the minor to the major axis of tidal ellipse. In rotating tidal flow, vertical shear generated at the seafloor, propagated slowly to the water interior up to the height of Umax, with a phase speed of ∼5 m/h. The time-shifted shear inside the water column, relative to the shear at the bottom, was associated with periodically changing increases and decreases of the tidal velocity above the log layer toward the sea surface. In reversing flows, the shear generated near the bottom and the shear at the upper levels were almost in phase.  相似文献   

9.
A three-dimensional hydrodynamic model is used to investigate intra-tidal and spring–neap variations of turbulent mixing, stratification and residual circulation in the Chesapeake Bay estuary. Vertical profiles of salinity, velocity and eddy diffusivity show a marked asymmetry between the flood and ebb tides. Tidal mixing in the bottom boundary layer is stronger and penetrates higher on flood than on ebb. This flood–ebb asymmetry results in a north–south asymmetry in turbulent mixing because tidal currents vary out of phase between the lower and upper regions of Chesapeake Bay. The asymmetric tidal mixing causes significant variation of salinity distribution over the flood–ebb tidal cycle but insignificant changes in the residual circulation. Due to the modulation of tidal currents over the spring–neap cycle, turbulent mixing and vertical stratification show large fortnightly and monthly fluctuations. The stratification is not a linear function of the tidal-current amplitude. Strong stratification is only established during those neap tides when low turbulence intensity persists for several days. Residual circulation also shows large variations over the spring–neap cycle. The tidally averaged residual currents are about 50% stronger during the neap tides than during the spring tides.  相似文献   

10.
To investigate how salinity changes with abrupt increases and decreases in river discharge, three surveys were conducted along six sections around the Yellow River mouth before, during and after a water regulation event during which the river discharge was increased from ∼200 to >3000 m3 s−1 for the first 3 days, was maintained at >3000 m3 s−1 for the next 9 days and was decreased to <1000 m3 s−1 for the final 4 days. The mean salinity in the Yellow River estuary area during the event varied ∼1.21, which is much larger than its seasonal variation (∼0.50) and interannual variation (∼0.05). Before the event, a small plume was observed near the river mouth. During the event, the plume extended over 24 km offshore in the surface layer in the direction of river water outflow. After the event, the plume diminished in size but remained larger than before the event. The downstream propagation of the plume (as in a Kelvin wave sense) was apparent in the bottom layer during the second survey and in both the surface and bottom layers during the third survey. The plume sizes predicted by the formulas from theoretical studies are larger than those we observed, indicating that factors neglected by theoretical studies such as the temporal variation in river discharge and vertical mixing in the sea could be very important for plume evolution. In addition to the horizontal variation of the plume, we also observed the penetration of freshwater from the surface layer into the bottom layer. A comparison of two vertical processes, wind mixing and tidal mixing, suggests that the impact of wind mixing may be comparable with that of tidal mixing in the area close to the river mouth and may be dominant over offshore areas. The change in Kelvin number indicates an alteration of plume dynamics due to the abrupt change in river discharge during the water regulation event.  相似文献   

11.
Vertical mixing by the tides plays a key role in controlling water column structure over the seasonal cycle in shelf seas. The influence of tidal stirring is generally well represented as a competition between surface buoyancy input and the production of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) by frictional stresses, a competition which is encapsulated in the Qh/u3 criterion. An alternative control mechanism arises from the limitation of the thickness of the bottom boundary layer due to the effects of rotation and the oscillation of the flow. Model studies indicate that, for conditions typical of the European shelf seas, the energy constraint exerts the dominant control but that for tidal streams with large positive polarisation (i.e. anti-clockwise rotation of velocity vector), some influence of rotation in limiting mixing should be detectable. We report here measurements of flow structure (with ADCPs) and turbulent dissipation (FLY Profiler) made at two similar locations in the Celtic Sea which differ principally in that the tidal currents rotate in opposite senses with approximately equal magnitude (polarity P=±0.6). A clear contrast was observed between the two sites in the vertical structure of the currents, the density profile and the rate of dissipation of TKE. At the positive polarity (PP) site (P≈+0.6), the bottom boundary layer in the tidal flow was limited to ∼20 mab (metre above the bed) and significant dissipation from bottom boundary friction was constrained within this layer. At the negative polarity (NP) site (P≈−0.6), the dominant clockwise rotary current component exhibited a velocity defect (i.e. reduction relative to the free stream) extending into the upper half of the water column while significant dissipation was observed to penetrate much further up the water column with dissipation levels ∼10−4.5 W m−3 reaching to the base of the pycnocline at 70–80 mab. These contrasting features of the vertical distribution of dissipation are well reproduced by a 1-D model when run with windstress and tidal forcing and using the observed density profile. Model runs with reversed polarity at the two sites, support the conclusion that the observed contrast in the structure of tidal velocity, dissipation and stratification is due to the influence of tidal stream polarity. Increased positive polarity reduces the upward penetration of mixing which allows the development of stronger seasonal stratification, which, in turn, further inhibits vertical mixing.  相似文献   

12.
A three-dimensional shelf circulation model is used to examine the effect of seasonal changes in water-column stratification on the tidal circulation over the Scotian Shelf and Gulf of St. Lawrence. The model is driven by tidal forcing specified at the model’s lateral open boundaries in terms of tidal sea surface elevations and depth-averaged currents for five major tidal constituents (M2, N2, S2, K1, and O1). Three numerical experiments are conducted to determine the influence of baroclinic pressure gradients and changes in vertical mixing, both associated with stratification, on the seasonal variation of tidal circulation over the study region. The model is initialized with climatological hydrographic fields and integrated for 16 months in each experiment. Model results from the last 12 months are analyzed to determine the dominant semidiurnal and diurnal tidal components, M2 and K1. Model results suggest that the seasonal variation in the water-column stratification affects the M2 tidal circulation most strongly over the shelf break and over the deep waters off the Scotian Shelf (through the development of baroclinic pressure gradients) and along Northumberland Strait in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (through changes in vertical mixing and bottom stress). For the K1 constituent, the baroclinic pressure gradient and vertical mixing have opposing effects on the tidal circulation over several areas of the study region, while near the bottom, vertical mixing appears to play only a small role in the tidal circulation.  相似文献   

13.
The long-term variability of the non-tidal circulation in Southampton Water, a partially mixed estuary, was investigated using 71-day acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) time series. The data show evidence that the spring–neap tidal variability of the turbulent mixing modulates the strength of the non-tidal residual circulation, with subtidal neap tide surface flows reaching 0.12 m s–1 compared to <0.05 m s–1 at spring tides. The amplitude of the neap-tide events in this non-tidal circulation is shown to be related to a critical value of the tidal currents, illustrating the strong dependence on tidal mixing. The results suggest that the dominant mechanism for generating these neap-tide circulation events is the baroclinic forcing of the horizontal density gradient, rather than barotropic forcing associated with ebb-induced periodic stratification. While tidal turbulence is thought to be the dominant control on this gravitational circulation, there is evidence of the additional effect of wind-driven mixing, including the effects of wind fetch and possibly wave development with along-estuary winds being more efficient at mixing the estuary than across-estuary winds. Rapid changes in atmospheric pressure also coincided with fluctuations in the gravitational circulation. The observed subtidal flows are shown to be capable of rapidly flushing buoyant material out of the estuary and into the coastal sea at neap tides.Responsible Editor: Iris Grabemann  相似文献   

14.
Tidal shear front off the Yellow River mouth has been observed and modeled in the previous studies. However, a detailed investigation of the front generation has not been conducted. The aim of this paper is to use a three-dimensional tidal model coupled to a sediment transport module to examine the front formation. The model predicted a tidal shear front that propagated offshore and lasted 1–2 h at both flood and ebb phase off the Yellow River mouth. The sensitivity numerical experiments showed that the topography with a strong slope off the Yellow River mouth was a determining factor for the front generation, and a parallel orientation between the major axes of ellipses and co-tidal lines of maximum tidal current was a necessary condition. While the bottom friction and the river runoff had no effect on the front location but affected the front intensity, the front generation was not sensitive to the coastline variation. The study concluded that the bottom slope off the river mouth induces a strong variation in the bottom stress in a cross-shore direction, which produces both maximum phase gradient and sediment concentration variability across the tidal shear front. With the extending Yellow River delta, the tidal shear front under the new bathymetry of year 2003 has been strengthened and pushed further offshore due to an increased bottom slope.  相似文献   

15.
Conceptual models of circulation theorise that the dominant forces controlling estuarine circulation are freshwater discharge from the riverine section (landward), tidal forcing from the ocean boundary, and gravitational circulation resulting from along-estuary gradients in density. In micro-tidal estuaries, sub-tidal water level changes (classified as those with periods between 3 and 10 days) with amplitudes comparable to the spring tidal range can significantly influence the circulation and distribution of water properties. Field measurements obtained from the Swan River Estuary, a diurnal, micro-tidal estuary in south-western Australia, indicated that sub-tidal water level changes at the ocean boundary were predominantly from remotely forced continental shelf waves (CSWs). The sub-tidal water levels had maximum amplitudes of 0.8 m, were comparable to the maximum tidal range of 0.6 m, propagated into the estuary to its tidal limit, and modified water levels in the whole estuary over several days. These oscillations dominated the circulation and distribution of water properties in the estuary through changing the salt wedge location and increasing the bottom water salinity by 7 units over 3 days. The observed salt wedge excursion forced by CSW was up to 5 km, whereas the maximum tidal excursion was 1.2 km. The response of the residual currents and the salinity distribution lagged behind the water level changes by ∼24 h. It was proposed that the sub-tidal forcing at the ocean boundary, which changed the circulation, salinity, and dissolved oxygen in the upper estuary, was due to a combination of two processes: (1) a gravity current generated by a process similar to a lock exchange mechanism and (2) amplified along-estuary density gradients in the upper estuary, which enhanced the gravitational circulation in the estuary. The salt intrusions under the sub-tidal forcing caused the rapid movement of anoxic water upstream, with significant implications for water quality and estuarine health.  相似文献   

16.
The turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate, ε, in tidal seas is maximum at the bottom during full flood and during full ebb, i.e. when tidal currents are strongest. In coastal regions with tides similar to a Kelvin wave, this coincides with high water and low water. If there is a freshwater source at the coast, stratification in such a region will be most stable at high water and least at low water. Measurements of ε in the Rhine region of freshwater influence performed by previous studies have revealed bottom maxima at both high and low water. In addition, a maximum in the upper half of the water column was found around high water, which cannot be explained by tidal shear at the bottom, convective instabilities or wind mixing. This study investigates the dissipation rate and relevant physical properties in the Rhine region of freshwater influence by means of three-dimensional numerical simulations using the General Estuarine Transport Model and idealised conditions. The measurements are well reproduced; two distinct peaks of ε are evident in the upper layer shortly before and after high water. These maxima turn out to be due to strong peaks in the alongshore shear occurring when the fore- and the back-front of the plume transit the water column.  相似文献   

17.
Regions of freshwater influence (ROFIs) are dynamic areas within the coastal seas that experience cycles of stability driven by density gradients and the spring-neap tidal cycle. As a result, pulses of biological production may occur on a more frequent timescale than the classic seasonal cycle. Net community production (NCP) rates and chlorophyll a concentration are presented from a site within the ROFI of Liverpool Bay and compared to similar measurements made at a site outside the ROFI during 2009. The influence of water column stability on biological production in the ROFI was also investigated using high-frequency observations from a Cefas Smartbuoy. Both sites were autotrophic from spring to autumn before becoming heterotrophic over winter. NCP at the inshore site was estimated to range from 30.8 to 50.4 gC m−2 year−1. A linear relationship detected between chlorophyll a and NCP from both sites was used to estimate metabolic balance over 1 year at the ROFI site using high-resolution chlorophyll a concentrations from the Smartbuoy but was found to poorly replicate NCP rates compared to those derived from dissolved oxygen fluxes. There was no clear biological response to periods of stratification within the ROFI, and it is proposed that changes in light attenuation in the Liverpool Bay ROFI, driven not only by stratification but also by fluctuations in riverine sediment load, most likely play an important role in controlling phytoplankton growth in this region.  相似文献   

18.
The Hangzhou Bay is a macro-tidal bay located to the south of the Changjiang estuary in China. Along its northern shore, a large-scale tidal channel system has developed, which includes a main northern tidal channel, with a length of more than 50 km and a width up to 10 km, and a secondary southern tidal channel. A process-based morphodynamic model, incorporating the cohesive sediment transport module of Delft3D, is used to analyze the physical processes and mechanisms underlying the formation and evolution of this tidal channel system. The results show that spatial gradients of flood dominance, caused by boundary enhancement via current convergences, is responsible for the formation of the channel system, due to a combination of the various factors such as funnel-shaped geometry hindering associated with the presence of islands, and flow deviation by the southern tidal flat and so on. The model results agree well with the real morphological features. This study also indicates that the reclamation of the southern tidal flat imposes a profound influence on the morphological evolution of the tidal channel system in the Hangzhou Bay. It is feasible to use the model to simulate long-term estuarine morphological changes with cohesive sediment settings.  相似文献   

19.
A numerical simulation of circulation in the Columbia River estuary and plume during the summer of 2004 is used to explore the mixing involved as river water is transformed into shelf water. The model is forced with realistic river flow, tides, wind stress, surface heat flux, and ocean boundary conditions. Simulated currents and water properties on the shelf near the mouth are compared with records from three moorings (all in 72 m of water) and five CTD sections. The model is found to have reasonable skill; statistically significant correlations between observed and modeled surface currents, temperature, and salinity are all 0.42–0.72 for the mooring records. Equations for the tidally averaged, volume-integrated mechanical energy budget (kinetic and potential) are derived, with attention to the effects of: (i) Reynolds averaging, (ii) a time varying volume due to the free surface, and (iii) dissipation very close to the bottom. It is found that convergence of tidal pressure work is the most important forcing term in the estuary. In the far field plume (which has a volume 15 times greater than that of the estuary), the net forcing is weaker than that in the estuary, and may be due to either tidal currents or wind stress depending on the time period considered. These forcings lead to irreversible mixing of the stratification (buoyancy flux) that turns river water into shelf water. This occurs in both the plume and estuary, but appears to be more efficient (17% vs. 5%), and somewhat greater (4.2 MW vs. 3.3 MW), in plume vs. estuary. This demonstrates the importance of both wind and tidal forcing to watermass transformation, and the need to consider the estuary and plume as part of a single system.  相似文献   

20.
Turbulence measurements in fine-scale phytoplankton layers (∼1 to ∼10 m) in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) were used to evaluate mechanisms of layer formation, maintenance, and breakdown. Simultaneous profiles of chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence and temperature microstructure were measured in the upper 40 m of a 430 m water column over a 16-d period, using a Self Contained Autonomous MicroProfiler (SCAMP). Layers of concentrated phytoplankton were identified in 95 of the 456 profiles. The layers were situated in density stratified regions between 15 and 38 m depth and were characterized by intensities of 0.1 to 0.35 μg Chl a L−1 (as much as two times background concentrations) and an average thickness of 10 m. We show that turbulent mixing and isopycnal displacements associated with internal waves modulated the thickness of the layers. Variations in mixing rates within layers were connected to the vertical structure of the stratified turbulence and the stage of layer development. The breakdown of a persistent phytoplankton layer was tied to strong turbulent mixing at the base of the surface mixed layer, which encroached on the layer from above. Hydrographic observations and scaling analysis suggest that the layers most likely formed in horizontal intrusions from the adjacent coastal region. The cross-shore propagation of phytoplankton-rich intrusions may have important implications for the trophic state of offshore planktonic communities.  相似文献   

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