Onset of Estuarine Plumes

Chao, Shenn-Yu; Boicourt, William C.

doi:10.1175/1520-0485(1986)016<2137:ooep>2.0.co;2

Cited by 214 publications

(135 citation statements)

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“…Geostrophic Geostrophic buoyancy-driven currents estimated for the Columbia plume are stronger than those deduced from most models, which have been developed for weaker outflows (e.g., Kourafalou et al [1996a, b] for rivers in the South Atlantic Bight; Chao and Boicourt [1986] for the plume from Chesapeake Bay). Unlike those weaker plumes, the magnitude of buoyancy-driven along-shelf currents in the Columbia plume is comparable to that of wind-driven along-shelf currents.…”

Section: Discussion and Summarymentioning

confidence: 97%

The Columbia River Plume Study: Subtidal variability in the velocity and salinity fields

Hickey¹,

Pietrafesa²,

Jay³

et al. 1998

J. Geophys. Res.

204

165

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Abstract. A comprehensive study of the strongly wind driven midlatitude buoyant plume from the Columbia River, located on the U.S. west coast, demonstrates that the plume has two basic structures during the fall/winter season, namely, a thin (---5-15 m), strongly stratified plume tending west to northwestward during periods of southward or light northward wind stress and a thicker (---10-40 m), weakly stratified plume tending northward and hugging the coast during periods of stronger northward stress. The plume and its velocity field respond nearly instantaneously to changes in wind speed or direction, and the wind fluctuations have timescales of 2-10 days. Frictional wind-driven currents cause the primarily unidirectional flow down the plume axis to veer to the right or left of the axis for northward or southward winds, respectively. Farther downstream, currents turn to parallel rather than cross salinity contours, consistent with a geostrophic balance. In particular, during periods when the plume is separated from the coast, currents tend to flow around the mound of fresher water. At distances exceeding about 20 km from the river mouth, the along-shelf depth-averaged flow over the inner to midshelf is linear, and depth-averaged acceleration is governed to lowest order by the difference between surface and bottom stress alone. In this region, along-shelf geostrophic buoyancy-driven currents at ---5 m (calculated from surface density) and along-shelf geostrophic wind-driven currents (computed from a depth-averaged linear model) are comparable in magnitude (---10-25 cm s-•).

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Section: Discussion and Summarymentioning

confidence: 97%

The Columbia River Plume Study: Subtidal variability in the velocity and salinity fields

Hickey¹,

Pietrafesa²,

Jay³

et al. 1998

J. Geophys. Res.

204

165

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“…Cross-shore convergence is a consequence of the front, and it effectively traps the buoyant plume to the coast. In contrast, surface-trapped plumes are shallow and sometimes underlain by a countercurrent [Chao and Boicourt, 1986;Chao, 1988a, b]. The two types of plumes should respond differently to upwelling winds.…”

Section: Flow Of the Scc Through Beringmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Siberian Coastal Current: A wind‐ and buoyancy‐forced Arctic coastal current

Weingartner¹,

Danielson²,

Sasaki³

et al. 1999

J. Geophys. Res.

197

126

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Abstract. We describe circulation and mixing in the Siberian Coastal Current (SCC) using fall shipboard measurements collected between 1992 and 1995 in the western Chukchi Sea. The SCC, forced by winds, Siberian river outflows, and ice melt, flows eastward from the East Siberian Sea. It is bounded offshore by a broad (---60 km) front separating cold, dilute Siberian Coastal Water from warmer, saltier Bering Sea Water. The alongshore flow is incoherent, because the current contains energetic eddies and squirts probably generated by frontal (baroclinic) instabilities. These enhance horizontal mixing and weaken the cross-shore density gradient along the SCC path. Eventually, the SCC converges with the northward flow from Bering Strait, whereupon it deflects offshore and mixes with that inflow. Deflection occurs where the alongshore pressure gradient The foregoing description implies that the SCC is largely driven by the positive buoyancy influx provided by river discharge. However, winds also play an important role on these 29,697

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“…As a result of the Earth's rotation, the freshwater discharge deflects towards the coast, forming a downstream plume along the coast (Chao and Boicourt 1986;Fong 1998;Garvine 1999). River plumes are also referred to as Regions of Freshwater Influence (ROFI), a term introduced by Simpson et al (1993) to demarcate this distinctive region in coastal seas and oceans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simultaneous measurements of tidal straining and advection at two parallel transects far downstream in the Rhine ROFI

Rijnsburger

Hout

Tongeren³

et al. 2016

Ocean Dynamics

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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 Van Oord, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 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.

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Onset of Estuarine Plumes

Cited by 214 publications

References 0 publications

The Columbia River Plume Study: Subtidal variability in the velocity and salinity fields

The Columbia River Plume Study: Subtidal variability in the velocity and salinity fields

The Siberian Coastal Current: A wind‐ and buoyancy‐forced Arctic coastal current

Simultaneous measurements of tidal straining and advection at two parallel transects far downstream in the Rhine ROFI

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