The Tagus Estuary as a Numerical Modeling Test Bed: A Review

Abstract

The Tagus Estuary is the largest estuarine system in the Iberian Peninsula. Located in a heavily populated metropolitan area (Lisbon), the estuary-coastal continuum is subject to significant natural variability (e.g., tidal variations, winds, river inflow, etc.) and human pressures (e.g., sewage outflow, infrastructures, coastal reclamation, dredging, etc.). Since the 1980s, the estuary has been a natural laboratory for a great number of multidisciplinary studies, but also a numerical laboratory to test models and to develop new ideas and numerical methodologies. Hydrodynamic and biogeochemical models have been used ever since to ascertain the main spatial and temporal features of the Tagus system, connecting its dynamic to its biogeochemical cycles, providing numerical tools used to increase knowledge and to manage the estuary and nearby coastal waters. The main objective of this paper is to present a synopsis of the scientific output related to numerical studies in the Tagus system, by reviewing more than fifty papers published over the past four decades. Our work provides a historical background and description of the numerical models implemented to address estuarine hydrodynamics, nutrient uptake, primary production, light availability, seasonal and annual cycles and the link between physical, biological and chemical estuarine oceanography.

Assessment of Urban Subsidence in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Central-West of Portugal) Applying Sentinel-1 SAR Dataset and Active Deformation Areas Procedure

“…[38] studied the landslide occurrence in the Lisbon region according to a regional rainfall threshold, while [41] performed a landslide risk index in Portugal, recognizing the LMA as an important landslide exposition area. In contrast, other studies have focused on urban planning and policies [42], the hydrodynamics and geochemistry of Tagus River [43], among other concerns. Regarding the A-DInSAR technique application, ref.…”

Changes in the Functional Role of the Tejo Estuary (Portugal, Europe) According to Fish Ecological Guilds

“…It is a partially mixed estuary with a tidal range of about 4 m. It is a mesotidal system with semidiurnal tides and with a complex geomorphology: its main channel comprises a narrow inlet with 4 km width and depths from 25 to 30 m, linking the Atlantic Ocean to a broad inner basin of 10 km width at its maximum, and depths ranging from 0 to 12 m in the mixing region. At the upper reaches, where the large intertidal mudflats and salt marsh areas are located, the estuary's depth is lower than 1 m [41][42][43], making the overall estuarine mean depth lower than 10 m. The river flow varies markedly either seasonally and interannually, presenting a mean value of 400 m 3 s −1 . Salinity varies from 0 at the estuary upstream limit (50 km from the estuary's mouth) to nearly 37 at the mouth.…”

Dealing with Multisource Information for Estuarine Flood Risk Appraisal in Two Western European Coastal Areas

“…According to Vaz et al (2020), water depths vary between 0 and 12 m in the shallow inner area and 25 to 30 m in the narrow channel. Water levels in the Tagus estuary are influenced by resonance effects triggered by the estuarine morphology that promotes tidal range amplification (Guerreiro et al 2015).…”