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Seasonally Hypersaline Estuaries in Mediterranean-climate Regions |
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| Authors: | JL Largier JT Hollibaugh SV Smith |
| Institution: | aScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0209, U.S.A.;bTiburon Center, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, CA, 94920, U.S.A.;cDepartment of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, 96822, U.S.A. |
| Abstract: | Data collected in three Californian estuaries indicate that hypersaline conditions exist during the dry summers typical of a Mediterranean climate. The generalised seasonal and longitudinal hydrographic structures are described and explained. It is argued that this seasonal hypersalinity is common and that it represents a major class of estuaries. The observed accumulation of salt indicates surprisingly long residence times in small basins which have free exchange with the ocean. This semi-isolation of the inner basin leads to a large build-up or severe depletion of nutrients, pollutants and plankton in these systems. Of concern are the trends to increase pollutant loading in the same systems that are experiencing an increase in residence times owing to freshwater extraction in the watershed. |
| Keywords: | hypersalinity inverse estuary residence time longitudinal diffusivity DIP concentration seasonal cycle Mediterranean climate |
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