共查询到20条相似文献，搜索用时 31 毫秒
1.
本文应用ECOM模式,设计1个控制试验,研究理想河口环流和盐水入侵的动力过程.数值计算结果表明,盐水入侵产生盐度锋面,在锋面处底层存在着向陆的密度流,为保持断面上质量连续,上层的流速趋于增大;近口门附近底层流有偏南分量,表明有横向环流存在.在口门外因斜压和底形的作用,产生明显的上升流.盐水入侵在空间上具有不对称性,高盐水位于北岸的下层.在拦门沙上游出现上下2个相反方向的横向环流,而在口门处只出现1个顺时针方向的横向环流.从动力机制上分析了盐水入侵的空间不对称性和横向环流的产生. 相似文献
2.
T.J. Ferrero N.J. Debenham P.J.D. Lambshead 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2008,79(3):409-418
Although many studies of Nematoda have been undertaken in estuarine systems, there are relatively few studies which have analysed the distribution of fauna across the entire salinity range from marine to freshwater conditions. The Thames estuary has a long history of anthropogenic impact and recovery, since it was described as “azoic” in the 1950s, which has been monitored primarily through studies of water quality and fish stocks, with less emphasis on macroinfauna and very little information on meiofaunal organisms. This study aimed to describe the nematode fauna at eight stations along the estuary from marine to freshwater conditions in order to assess patterns of density, diversity and species assemblage structure. Nematode density and diversity were generally lower in the middle reaches of the estuary, associated with the region of greatest salinity range, a pattern which was found to be in agreement with Attrill's [2002. A testable linear model for diversity trends in estuaries. Journal of Animal Ecology 71, 262–269] linear model. Multivariate analysis confirmed that each station supported a distinct nematode fauna, which could be used to identify five zones along the estuary related to salinity regime. Although alpha diversity at each station was relatively low, species turnover along the estuary resulted in relatively high gamma diversity (153 spp.) similar to that found in a number of European estuaries. The results of this study did not suggest that the nematode fauna was under significant stress from the lower levels of pollution currently found in the system. The potential routes for the recovery and re-colonization of the estuary since it most polluted days are discussed. 相似文献
3.
《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2005,62(1-2):141-160
The environmental behavior of nonylphenol ethoxylates (A9PEO) in the Rhine and Scheldt estuaries (The Netherlands) was investigated using a hydrodynamic advection-dispersion fate model (ECoS 3). The model was validated with the results of field studies, in which A9PEO as well as the metabolites nonylphenoxy ethoxy acetic acids (A9PEC) and nonylphenol (NP) were analyzed in sediment, water and suspended particulate material (SPM) samples using LC–MS methods. Maximum actual concentrations observed in surface sediments were 620, 560 and 1100 ng g−1 d.w. for A9PEO, A9PEC and NP, respectively. In the dissolved phase, maximum observed concentrations amounted to 1100 ng L−1 (A9PEO), 6500 ng L−1 (A9PEC) and 960 ng L−1 (NP). Clear spatial trends were observed for dissolved A9PEO and metabolites in the Scheldt estuary, with decreasing concentrations going downstream. This concentration decrease was steeper than for conservatively behaving compounds. This trend was not visible in the Rhine estuary. The fate model was applied to A9PEO and metabolites in both estuaries. Transport of chemicals in the water column was considered as a longitudinal one-dimensional process through a number of estuary segments. For the Rhine estuary, to cope with the stratification observed, a model structure was chosen consisting of two water layers above each other, between which exchange was possible. Sedimentation/erosion processes were included in the model. A biodegradation scheme was incorporated, and rates were adjusted to fit the calculated concentration profiles with the actual profiles of both A9PEO and its metabolites. In this way, field biodegradation rates for A9PEO, A9PEC and NP could be derived, which were in agreement with values from literature. The measured dissolved concentration profiles as well as salinity and concentrations of SPM could be described successfully by the model. The concentrations calculated in SPM and sediment were of the same order of magnitude as the actual concentrations. In the Rhine estuary, additional sources of A9PEO had to be included to account for the relatively high concentrations in the middle of the estuary. The fate model for the Scheldt estuary could be slightly improved by using salinity-dependent biodegradation rates. A sensitivity analysis of the model showed that in the Scheldt estuary, the environmental process with the strongest influence on the dissolved concentration profiles of A9PEO and metabolites is biodegradation. In the Rhine estuary, the water residence time is too short for significant biodegradation to occur, and in this estuary the dissolved concentration profiles were mainly influenced by the additional A9PEO sources. 相似文献
4.
Peter Hamilton 《Progress in Oceanography》1990,25(1-4)
Simulations of the time and depth-dependent salinity and current fields of the Columbia River Estuary have been performed using a multi-channel, laterally averaged estuary model. The study simulated two periods. The first, in October 1980, with low riverflow of about 4,000m3s−1, which showed marked changes in the salinity intrusion processes between neap and spring tides; and second, in spring 1981, with high riverflow varying between 7,000 and 15,000m3s−1, which showed the rapid response of the salinity intrusion to changes in riverflow and that vertical mixing did not change character with increasing tidal energy because of the maintenance of stratification by freshwater flow. An extreme low flow simulation (riverflow of 2,000m3s−1) showed a more partially mixed character of the estuary channels with tidal dispersion of salt across the Taylor Sands from the North Channel to the upper reaches of the Navigation Channel. Asymmetries in the non-linear tidal mean flows, in the flood and ebb circulations, and salinity intrusion characteristics between the two major channels were observed at all riverflows. The model confirms Jay and Smith's (1990) analysis of the circulation processes in that tidal advection of salt by the vertically sheared tidal currents is the dominant mechanism by which the salinity intrusion is maintained against large freshwater flows. An accurate finite-difference method, which minimized numerical dispersion, was used for the advection terms and was an important component in reasonably simulating the October neap-spring differences in the salinity intrusion. The simulations compare favorably with elevation, current and salinity time series observations taken during October 1980 and spring 1981. 相似文献
5.
Lydie Herfort Tawnya D. PetersonVictoria Campbell Sheedra FutrellPeter Zuber 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2011
To better understand the development of the annually recurring late summer red water blooms of the phototrophic ciliate Myrionecta rubra in the Columbia River estuary we examined its standing stocks and measured its growth rates both in the estuary main channels and in Baker Bay, a peripheral embayment situated near the river mouth. Data collected during two summers show a biphasic development of M. rubra blooms, with an initial phase when the protist was only detected in Baker Bay, followed by an established phase when red waters were observed throughout the lower estuary. Ilwaco harbor (Baker Bay’s seaward-end) is at least one of the locations where the bloom starts since M. rubra was detected there at concentrations >100s cell L−1 before Chinook harbor (Baker Bay’s upriver-end) or the estuary main channels. In 2010, this initial phase lasted about 1.5 months, spanning the neap tide of early July to the beginning of the neap tide of mid-August. While high growth rates were measured in Ilwaco harbor during the initial phase (1.2–3.1 d−1) and in the estuary main channels in both surface red (0.7 d−1) and adjacent non-red (1.1 d−1) waters during the established period, growth of the ciliate was not detected in Ilwaco harbor during this second phase. Growth rate data obtained during the established bloom phase also suggest that M. rubra cells in the estuary mostly divide during the daytime and that red water patches might experience self-shading. 相似文献
6.
The circulation and salinity distribution in the Hooghly Estuary have been studied by developing a two‐dimensional depth‐averaged numerical model for the lower estuary, where the flow is vertically well mixed. This has been coupled with a one‐dimensional model for the upper estuary, where the flow is assumed to be unidirectional and well mixed over the depth and breadth. The Hooghly River receives high freshwater discharge during the monsoon season (June to September), which has significant effect on the salinity distribution in the estuary. The model‐simulated currents, elevations, and salinities are in good agreement with observations during the dry season. However, during the wet season the computed salinities seem to deviate slightly from the observed values. 相似文献
7.
河口地貌形态对潮汐不对称性的产生和发展有着至关重要的作用。本文根据英国Humber河口数据建立了概化模型,研究了在同一纳潮量情况下,主槽断面形态、平面形态和河口收缩率对河口潮汐不对称性的影响。结果表明,较深的主槽能使相位差峰值出现较晚且峰值更大,从而影响局部区域的涨潮流强弱,主槽越浅,最大落潮流速越小,落潮所需历时越长,河口更倾向于涨潮主导,窄潮滩倾向于涨潮主导型,宽潮滩倾向于落潮主导型;平面形态沿程收缩且长度较长的河口涨潮主导型最强,此外,河口宽度沿程缩窄会加大主槽的余流流速,减小潮滩的余流流速;随着河口平面收缩率的增强,主槽的余流流速减小,潮滩余流流速增大,潮滩更倾向于涨潮主导。本文进一步丰富了河口地形地貌变化对潮汐不对称性影响的认识,可为河口区工程建设和管理维护提供科学依据。 相似文献
8.
A. Yu. Gukov 《Oceanology》2011,51(3):443-448
Eight bottom biocenoses were observed in the Novosibirsk Polynya region. The species composition of these communities was
common for the areas of the dominating of the surface arctic water masses. The biocenoses were characterized by a high population
density (up to 3200 ind. per m−2) and an elevated biomass (up to 233.5 g per m−2). The number of species increased seaward and according to the bottom’s depth. The patterns of the spatial distribution of
the macrobenthos biomass were closely related to the bottom sediment types and the salinity patterns. The macrobenthos biomass
was significantly higher in the areas where the surface arctic water masses dominated as compared to the arctic estuary water
mass regions. The areas of these two water masses’ convergence were characterized by significantly lower biomass values. The
maximal macrobenthos biomass was observed in the cores of the water mass areas. 相似文献
9.
Submesoscale activity in the upper ocean has received intense studies through simulations and observations in the last decade, but in the eddy-active South China Sea (SCS) the fine-scale dynamical processes of submesoscale behaviors and their potential impacts have not been well understood. This study focuses on the elongated filaments of an eddy field in the northern SCS and investigates submesoscale-enhanced vertical motions and the underlying mechanism using satellite-derived observations and a high-resolution (~500 m) simulation. The satellite images show that the elongated highly productive stripes with a typical lateral scale of ~25 km and associated filaments are frequently observed at the periphery of mesoscale eddies. The diagnostic results based on the 500 m-resolution realistic simulation indicate that these submesoscale filaments are characterized by cross-filament vertical secondary circulations with an increased vertical velocity reaching O(100 m/d) due to submesoscale instabilities. The vertical advections of secondary circulations drive a restratified vertical buoyancy flux along filament zones and induce a vertical heat flux up to 110 W/m2. This result implies a significant submesoscale-enhanced vertical exchange between the ocean surface and interior in the filaments. Frontogenesis that acts to sharpen the lateral buoyancy gradients is detected to be conducive to driving submesoscale instabilities and enhancing secondary circulations through increasing the filament baroclinicity. The further analysis indicates that the filament frontogenesis detected in this study is not only derived from mesoscale straining of the eddy, but also effectively induced by the subsequent submesoscale straining due to ageostrophic convergence. In this context, these submesoscale filaments and associated frontogenetic processes can provide a potential interpretation for the vertical nutrient supply for phytoplankton growth in the high-productive stripes within the mesoscale eddy, as well as enhanced vertical heat transport. 相似文献
10.
201409号超强台风"威马逊"于2014年7月从北部湾北部过境,对红河三角洲近岸海域的水动力环境产生重要影响。本文基于Delft3D建立三维潮、流、浪耦合数值模型,对红河三角洲水位、海流及波浪对台风的响应变化进行模拟。结果表明:威马逊台风期间,红河三角洲海域风速增大约6倍,风向由偏南风转为偏北风,表底层流速均受影响,其中表层变化较大,表现为北分量流速明显增大,流向变为偏南向,与风向主分量变化有关;波高增大为正常海况的9倍,时间变化与风速一致。本研究获得了从北部湾北部海域过境的台风影响下红河三角洲海域水动力环境的响应变化特征,对该海域的物质输运研究及海洋工程建设有重要意义。 相似文献
11.
Generally one dimensional(1-D) empirical salinity intrusion model is limited to natural alluvial estuary. However,this study attempts to investigate its ability to model a sheltered alluvial estuary of the Terengganu River in Malaysia. The constructed breakwater at the mouth of the river shelters the estuary from direct influence of the open sea. The salinity density along the estuary was collected during the wet and dry seasons for scenarios before and after the constructed breakwater. Moreover, the freshwater discharges, tidal elevations and bathymetry data were also measured as model inputs. A good fit was demonstrated between simulated and observed variables,namely salinity distribution and intrusion length for both scenarios. Thus, the results show that 1-D empirical salinity model can be utilized for sheltered estuarine condition at the Terengganu Estuary, but with an appropriate determination of an initial point. Furthermore, it was observed that the salinity intrusion in the study area is largely dependent on the freshwater discharge rather than tidal elevation fluctuations. The scale of the salinity intrusion length in the study area is proportional to the river discharge of the –1/2 power. It was appeared that the two lines of the 1-D empirical salinity model and discharge power based equation fitted well to each other, with the average predicted minimum freshwater discharge of 150 m3/s is going to be required to maintain acceptable salinity levels during high water slack(HWS) near the water intake station, which is located at 10.63 km from river mouth. 相似文献
12.
The nodal tide causes a periodic variation in the mean tidal range, with a period of 18.6 years and amplitude of about 4% of the mean range. As the cross-sectional area of the channel in an estuary has been observed to be related to the tidal prism, such a variation of the tidal range can significantly influence the morphological development of tide-dominated estuaries. Field observations from the Humber Estuary in England confirm that there is indeed an 18.6 year cycle in the total water volume of the estuary. In this estuary, with a relatively small morphological time scale, the response to the nodal tide variation appears to dominate the long-term large-scale sediment budget changes of the estuary. The semi-empirical model ESTMORF was able to reproduce these observations, in terms of the observed amplitude and phase lag (relative to the variation of the tidal amplitude) of the morphological response. It also showed good agreement with the along estuary variation in both the magnitude and phase of the response. To examine the character of the response in more detail, a simplified analytical solution has been derived from the governing non-linear equations. This has been investigated in terms of the sensitivity of the model to the various model parameters and by comparison with the historic data. The results demonstrate how the system response is strongly dependent on the morphological time scale of the estuary. Furthermore, the response is not uniform but varies along the length of the estuary, being most marked at the mouth and decaying up estuary. When examining changes in geomorphological features, such as the intertidal area, an appreciation of the role of the nodal tide is shown to be essential if historic data are to be properly interpreted. 相似文献
13.
Jesper Bartholdy 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》1984,18(5):527-541
The river Varde Å discharges into the bay of Ho Bugt on the western coast of Jutland forming a small, bar-built estuary. This paper deals with tidal fluxes of water and sediment in the Varde Å estuary.The inflowing water at flood tide is part of a turbidity maximum in the northern part of the bay. At high tide slack water the suspended material deposits inside the estuary. During ebb-tide it is resuspended, and the estuary bottom is washed clean coinciding with the influx of relatively pure freshwater from the drainage area.From one station in the estuary mouth, current velocities and concentrations of suspended material have been measured during 10 tidal periods covering all four seasons. It is shown how these data can be used in a quantitative calculation of the transport of water and suspended material through the cross-section of study.A model has been formulated which—based on half-tidal periods—quantifies the transport of water and suspended material through the estuary mouth.The model is calibrated on the basis of measurements made during the above-mentioned 10 tidal periods. The rather small number of measurements is to some extent compensated for by a carefully pre-arranged selection of tidal periods.The model is discussed in relation to the prediction of net suspended transport through the estuary mouth in different weather and tidal situations. 相似文献
14.
You-Ichiro Sasajima Satoshi Nakada Naoki Hirose Jong-Hwan Yoon 《Journal of Oceanography》2007,63(6):913-926
The subsurface counter current beneath the Tsushima Warm Current is simulated using a three-dimensional circulation model.
The model well reproduces the counter current beneath the Tsushima Warm Current on the shelf break. The counter current appears
as nearshore parts of the subsurface clockwise circulations from spring to early winter. The clockwise circulations are separated
by developed shelves such as the Oki Spur and the Noto Peninsula, thus the counter current is not a continuous flow along
the Japanese coast in this model. The vertical structure of the counter current can be explained by a density structure with
the thermal wind relationship. The permanent and seasonal pycnoclines form mutually opposite horizontal density gradients
near the Japanese coast in summer. Such a density structure results in a speed maximum of the counter current away from the
bottom. It is remarkable that the second baroclinic mode is dominant in nearshore parts of the subsurface clockwise circulations
in summer, which are attributed to the density structure. Similar density structures are also found in some coastal regions
of the world oceans where subsurface counter currents are expected. 相似文献
15.
We report new measurements of the turbulent properties of the flow in a tidally energetic estuarine channel of almost uniform cross-section. A high-frequency (1.2 MHz), bottom-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) has been used to observe the velocity field at a sampling rate of 10 Hz in parallel with measurements of the surface elevation by tide gauges. Our data have been analysed using the Variance Method to determine turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), shear stress and TKE production over the tidal cycle with a time resolution of 60 s. During the highly energetic but brief flood period, when the surface axial velocity reaches 2 m s−1, we observed large values of stress (>2 Pa) and shear production (5 W m−3). TKE is also input through the release of energy in the bore itself which results in a brief but intense injection of energy at the bore front with large transient TKE levels (100 J m−3). Subsequent input by shear production maintains TKE levels which are generally lower (20 J m−3) than the strong peak associated with the bore for the rest of the flood. On the ebb, the flow is relatively tranquil with maximum speeds 0.5 m s−1 and peak TKE production rates of 0.1 W m−3.The flow and elevation data have also been used to estimate the energy fluxes into and out of the estuary. Short (1 h), intense energy inputs (8 MW at springs) on the flood flow are largely balanced by longer, less intense seaward energy flow on the ebb. The net energy input is found to be 0.1 MW at springs which is consistent with estimates of upstream dissipation. Peak dissipation in the bore itself may exceed the mean energy input but it is active only for a small fraction of the tidal cycle and its average contribution does not exceed 12% of total dissipation. 相似文献
16.
利用Delft3D数学模型对长江口水动力条件、上海市现有及拟建排放口污水排放的稀释扩散场进行了模拟。模型利用潮汐数据和排放口附近的现场实测数据进行了率定和验证，分别对丰水期、枯水期的大、小潮情况下的流速场、潮位场及污水扩散场进行了研究。结果表明：长江口的水动力条件有利于污水的稀释扩散；现状排放量对长江口水环境影响不大；但如果污水在排放前不进行一定的处理，规划排放量排人长江口将会严重恶化其水质，特别是枯水期小潮时最为严重。建议根据长江口和杭州湾的环境容量，结合排放口的稀释扩散能力，合理确定污水排放方案。 相似文献
17.
The mechanism of a characteristic sea level response (barotropic coastal ocean response) to wind field fluctuation around
the tip of the Izu Peninsula observed during the middle of December 2000 to the middle of January 2001 was investigated based
on three types of numerical experiments using the Princeton Ocean Model with various parameters. The response was characterized
by the relaxation of sea level falling (rising) during eastward upwelling (westward downwelling) favorable wind regime. Analyses
of quasi-realistic numerical model results in terms of the vertically integrated momentum balances and vorticity balance for
the barotropic mode revealed that: 1) development/abatement of two anomalous circulations generated around the tip of the
Izu Peninsula controls the sea level response through the acceleration/deceleration of a quasi-geostrophic barotropic coastal
current between the circulations; 2) nonlinear vorticity advection by the Kuroshio Current and by the coastal current, coupled
with vorticity diffusion, decelerates the quasi-geostrophic coastal current in the latter half of the wind regimes, which
induces the relaxation of sea level rise/fall. The results of the quasi-realistic numerical experiment suggest that an analysis
of the vorticity balance for the barotropic mode contributes to a better understanding of sea level responses to wind in coastal
regions with strong currents and complex topography. In addition, a numerical experiment with idealized spatially uniform
density stratification and a quasi-realistic wind field shows that if the Kuroshio Current had been shifted far offshore from
the Izu Peninsula during the observation period, westward propagating continental shelf waves would have controlled the coastal
sea level response. 相似文献
18.
东海陆架中北部沉积物粒度特征及其沉积环境 总被引：4，自引：1，他引：3
通过对东海陆架表层沉积物粒级组成、粒度参数、14C年龄和微体古生物组合的综合分析,绘制了东海陆架的沉积物类型分布图;运用Folk等(1970)沉积物分类方法将东海表层沉积物分成砂、粉砂、粉砂质砂、砂质粉砂、砂质泥5种类型,其中粉砂质砂分布最广,砂质泥分布最少;沉积物由陆向海粒度变粗,反映沉积过程中的物源和沉积动力控制作用。根据沉积环境及成因分析,可将东海陆架沉积分为3类:分别是长江口外席状砂沉积区、现代泥质沉积区和陆架中部砂质沉积区。长江口外砂质沉积是全新世冰消期晚期潮流作用及风暴潮流共同作用的产物,是高海平面以来太平洋潮波系统作用下的潮流沙沉积,沙波地貌仍在发生变化。现代泥质沉积区包括长江前三角洲沉积、浙闽沿岸流沉积和济州岛西南泥质沉积三个区域,不同沉积区的成因机制不同。陆架中部砂质沉积是末次冰盛期之后海侵作用下发育的砂质沉积物,在海侵的不同阶段中沉积物被冲刷改造,具有不等时性特征,沉积环境与现代陆架海洋环流的动力特征不一致,现代沉积作用较弱,仅接受悬浮体细粒沉积。 相似文献
19.
A one-dimensional salt intrusion model is used to investigate the hydrography of the Ythan estuary, a small shallow macrotidal estuary in the north-east of Scotland. The model simulates the longitudinal distributions of water level, salinity and total oxidized nitrogen (TON) in the estuary. The model employs upstream differencing and the Smolarkiewicz anti-diffusion scheme to avoid the numerical difficulties typically encountered when modelling strong tidal flows using centred differences. The physical mechanisms driving the simulations are the tide at the entrance to the estuary and freshwater discharge at the head. The model was calibrated against measurements of water level made at three locations in the estuary, salinity observations made at a central platform and axial salinity distributions. At both spring and neap tides, the full range of salinity observed at the central platform was simulated. However, at the midway stage between springs and neaps, the simulated peak salinity was less than that observed. This was probably due to the sensitivity of the model to the digitisation of the estuarine bathymetry.The model successfully simulated salinity distributions for periods of high and low river flow, and was used to illustrate how TON concentrations fluctuated in response to variations in river flow. The potential implications of variations in the bathymetry of the estuary on salinity and nutrient distributions were predicted to be slight. However, the four fold increase in riverine TON concentrations that has occurred over the past 30 years was shown to increase TON distributions along the entire length of the estuary. The calculated estuary flushing time was strongly dependent on river flow and varied between 11–60 h. 相似文献
20.
Christopher R Sherwood David A Jay R Bradford Harvey Peter Hamilton Charles A Simenstad 《Progress in Oceanography》1990,25(1-4)
Historical changes in the hydrology, sedimentology, and physical oceanography of the Columbia River Estuary have been evaluated with a combination of statistical, cartographic, and numerical-modelling techniques. Comparison of data digitized from US Coast and Geodetic Survey bathymetric surveys conducted in the periods 1867–1875, 1926–1937, and 1949–1958 reveals that large changes in the morphology of the estuary have been caused by navigational improvements (jetties, dredged channels, and pile dikes) and by the diking and filling of much of the wetland area. Lesser changes are attributable to natural shoaling and erosion. There has been roughly a 15% decrease in tidal prism and a net accumulation of about 68 × 106m3 of sediment in the estuary. Large volumes of sediment have been eroded from the entrance region and deposited on the continental shelf and in the balance of the estuary, contributing to formation of new land. The bathymetric data indicate that, ignoring erosion at the entrance, 370 to 485 × 106m3 of sediment has been deposited in the estuary since 1868 at an average rate of about 0.5 cm y−1, roughly 5 times the rate at which sea level has fallen locally since the turn of the century.Riverflow data indicate that the seasonal flow cycle of the Columbia River has been significantly altered by regulation and diversion of water for irrigation. The greatest changes have occurred in the last thirty years. Flow variability over periods greater than a month has been significantly damped and the net discharge has been slightly reduced. These changes in riverflow are too recent to be reflected in the available in the available bathymetric data.Results from a laterally averaged, multiple-channel, two-dimensional numerical flow model (described in Hamilton, 1990) suggest that the changes in morphology and riverflow have reduced mixing, increased stratification, altered the response to fortnightly (neap-spring) changes in tidal forcing, and decreased the salinity intrusion length and the transport of salt into the estuary.The overall effects of human intervention in the physical processes of the Columbia River Estuary (i.e. decrease in freshwater inflow, tidal prism, and mixing; increase in flushing time and fine sediment deposition, and net accumulation of sediment) are qualitatively similar to those observed in less energetic and more obviously altered estuarine systems. A concurrent reduction in wetland habitats has resulted in an estimated 82% reduction in emergent plant production and a 15% reduction in benthic macroalgae production, a combined production loss of 51,675 metric tons of organic carbon per year. This has been at least partially compensated by a large increase in the supply of riverine detritus derived from freshwater phytoplankton primary production. Comparison of modern and estimated preregulation organic carbon budgets for the estuary indicates a shift from a food web based on comparatively refractory macrodetritus derived from emergent vegetation to one involving more labile microdetritus derived from allochthonous phytoplankton. The shift has been driven by human-induced changes to the physical environment of the estuary.While this is a relatively comprehensive study of historical physical changes, it is incomplete in that the sediment budget is still uncertain. More precise quantification of the modern estuarine sediment budget will require both a better understanding of the fluvial input and dredging export terms and a sediment tranport model designed to explain historical changes in the sediment budget. Oceanographic studies to better determine the mechanisms leading to the formation of the turbidity maximum are also needed. The combination of cartography and modelling used in this study should be applicable in other systems where large changes in morphology have occurred in historical time. 相似文献