Land-Ocean Interactions:

Estuarine Circulation
Bob Chant

Land-Ocean Interactions:

Estuarine Circulation
Estuary: a semi-enclosed coastal body of water which
has a free connection with the open sea and within which
sea water is measurably diluted with fresh water derived
from land drainage. (Pritchard,1963)
River
Estuary head

Estuary
Estuary mouth

Coastal Ocean

Schematic of a typical Estuary

ent
i
d
a
y gr f
t
i
s
Den axis o
g
alon ry
a
estu
the
n
y
i
nd strongl
a

al (
c
i
t
r
ve
ed)
i
f
i
t
stra

Stratification evolves
over time in
response to
freshwater inflow
shows time scale of
estuary residence
time can be long

Smaller estuary: salinity shows

tidal variability

Characteristics of estuaries

Most estuaries:
strong tidal forcing
large density difference between river and ocean
complex topography

Long and narrow can often be approximated by 2-dimensional vertical/alongaxis flow (relatively little across axis flow)

Mathematically we have equations for salt, mass (volume) and momentum

significant forces: friction (mixing), pressure, nonlinearity, acceleration
(time variability)
typically small: wind, Coriolis, longer that tidal period coastal sea level
(tides are important)
most common dynamic balance is between pressure and friction/mixing
Mixing affects the salt balance
which affects the pressure distribution and pressure gradient

Can classify estuaries based on their physics (relative magnitude of different

terms), or topography/geomorphology

Physics essentials:

Fresh river water encounters salty ocean water

Fresh = light; salty = heavy
Freshwater flows seaward at the surface
Get landward flow of more dense, salty, water
estuarine or gravitational or baroclinic circulation
time scales of ~1 day so Coriolis force is usually of
secondary importance
circulation is evident averaged over a few tidal cycles
mixing and entrainment processes are central to
details of the salt and volume transport balance

Current measurements in the Hudson

Posi:ve directed Landward

Solid surface Dashed -- Bo3om

Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk
(Mahican name for Hudsonriver that flows both ways

Lower layer (and dye) moving up river against the river ow

0
5

-10

10

25

30

-5 5 10
15
-10

-20
20
0

25

45

50

35

60

May 6th

55

10

40

45

50

5
10

55

60

May 7th

15

25
5

30

10

35

30

45

50

40

45

60

km north of the Battery

35

55

May 8th

5
10

25

40

10

15

-10
-15
20

40

10

-10
-15
20
0

10

30

-5

-5

35

10

-15
20
0

May 4th

15

50

55

60

1. No mixing. Zero exchange ow

s1=0
Rive
r

Ocean
so=32

2. Some mixing: moderate exchange ow

s1=20
Rive
r

Ocean
so=32

Maximal exchange
Rive
r

QR

s1=28
Q1

Qo

Salt balance on board.

Ocean
so=32

Estuarine CirculaFon and Mixing--- seemingly counter to the Kundson model

But not really!!

Salt field in Hudson During Low River Flow

Neap Fde

Exchange ow
Dominates
And isohalines
Slump over

Spring Fde

Mixing dominates
and water column
becomes well
mixed.

High Flow

Q=2000 m3/s





Low Flow

Q=40 m#/s

Stokes Settling the larger And denser a

particle is the faster They fall.
Micron-scale particles have (almost)
No settling speed
mm scale particles may fall at speeds of
Mm/s
When a whale dies it falls rapidly to the
bottom

1) w=1 mm/s turbulence

1) w=1 mm/s no turbulence (preXy boring!)

2) w=0 mm/s turbulence

3) w=1 mm/s turbulence

1) w=0 mm/s turbulence

Estuarine Turbidity Maximum

The quesFon of the day:

Consider an estuary that is 50 km long, 10m deep and 1 km wide. Moored observaFons
at the mouth show that the mean surface to boXom salinity dierence is 3 and the mean
river ow is 100 m3/s. Use the Knudson model to esFmate the volume transport in the
lower layer and the residence Fme of the estuary. Assume that the mean salinity of the
ocean water is 30.