Modeling the tidal and sub-tidal hydrodynamics in a shallow, micro-tidal estuary

Rayson, Matthew D.; Gross, Edward S.; Fringer, Oliver B.

doi:10.1016/j.ocemod.2015.02.002

Cited by 38 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…We have used the model setup described in Rayson et al . [], in particular, the mixed quadrilateral‐triangular grid configuration. This grid consists of 57,305 horizontal grid cells with a median resolution of 100 m in the shipping channel and estuary mouth regions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…See Rayson et al . [] for details of the model validation against long‐term salinity, water level, temperature, and current monitoring observations.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SUNTANS solves the three-dimensional Reynoldsaveraged Navier-Stokes equations discretized on an unstructured horizontal grid. We have used the model setup described in Rayson et al [2015], in particular, the mixed quadrilateral-triangular grid configuration. This grid consists of 57,305 horizontal grid cells with a median resolution of 100 m in the shipping channel and estuary mouth regions.…”

Section: Model Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Atmospheric heat, salt, and momentum fluxes were included using data from the North American Regional Reanalysis [Mesinger et al, 2006]. See Rayson et al [2015] for details of the model validation against long-term salinity, water level, temperature, and current monitoring observations. Figure 2a indicates the 6 month model hindcast period studied in this paper.…”

Section: Model Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Time scales in Galveston Bay: An unsteady estuary

et al. 2016

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Estuarine time scales including the turnover, particle e‐folding time, the age (calculated with a passive tracer), and residence time (calculated with Lagrangian particles) were computed using a three‐dimensional hydrodynamic model of Galveston Bay, a low‐flow, partially stratified estuary. Time scales were computed during a time period when river flow varied by several orders of magnitude and all time scales therefore exhibited significant temporal variability because of the unsteadiness of the system. The spatial distributions of age and residence time were qualitatively similar and increased from 15 days in a shipping channel to >45 days in the upper estuary. Volume‐averaged age and residence time decreased during high‐flow conditions. Bulk time scales, including the freshwater and salinity turnover times, were far more variable due to the changing river discharge and salt flux through the estuary mouth. A criterion for calculating a suitable averaging time is discussed to satisfy a steady state assumption and to estimate a more representative bulk time scale. When scaled with a freshwater advective time, all time scales were approximately equal to the advective time scale during high‐flow conditions and many times higher during low‐flow conditions. The mean age, Lagrangian residence, and flushing times exhibited a relationship that was weakly dependent on the freshwater advective time scale demonstrating predictability even in an unsteady, realistic estuary.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…See Rayson et al . [] for details of the model validation against long‐term salinity, water level, temperature, and current monitoring observations.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Model Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Model Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Time scales in Galveston Bay: An unsteady estuary

et al. 2016

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“…Other hydrodynamic modeling studies focused on specific estuarine systems such as Galveston Bay (Rayson et al, 2015;Rego and Li, 2010;Sebastian et al, 2014), Mobile Bay (Kim and Park, 2012;Du et al, 2018a), and Choctawhatchee Bay (Kuitenbrouwer et al, 2018). These models tend to have smaller domains, including the target estuary and the inner shelf just outside the estuary.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A hydrodynamic model for Galveston Bay and the shelf in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Shen

Zhang

et al. 2019

Ocean Sci.

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A 3-D unstructured-grid hydrodynamic model for the northern Gulf of Mexico was developed, with a hybrid s-z vertical grid and high-resolution horizontal grid for the main estuarine systems along the Texas-Louisiana coast. This model, based on the Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydroscience Integrated System Model (SCHISM), is driven by the observed river discharge, reanalysis atmospheric forcing, and open boundary conditions from global HYCOM output. The model reproduces the temporal and spatial variation of observed water level, salinity, temperature, and current velocity in Galveston Bay and on the shelf. The validated model was applied to examine the remote influence of neighboring large rivers, specifically the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River (MAR) system, on salinity, stratification, vertical mixing, and longshore transport along the Texas coast. Numerical experiments reveal that the MAR discharge could significantly decrease the salinity and change the stratification and vertical mixing on the inner Texas shelf. It would take about 25 and 50 d for the MAR discharge to reach the mouth of Galveston Bay and Port Aransas, respectively. The influence of the MAR discharge is sensitive to the wind field. Winter wind constrains the MAR freshwater to form a narrow lower-salinity band against the shore from the Mississippi Delta all the way to the southwestern Texas coast, while summer wind reduces the downcoast longshore transport significantly, weakening the influence of the MAR discharge on surface salinity along Texas coast. However, summer wind causes a much stronger stratification on the Texas shelf, leading to a weaker vertical mixing. The decrease in salinity of up to 10 psu at the mouth of Galveston Bay due to the MAR discharge results in a decrease in horizontal density gradient, a decrease in the salt flux, and a weakened estuarine circulation and estuarine-ocean exchange. We highlight the flexibility of the model and its capability to simulate not only estuarine dynamics and shelf-wide transport, but also the interactions between them.

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Oil Spill Boom Strategy for Local Authorities Facing Coastal and Harbor Pollutions: A Survey of the European Research Project ISDAMP+

Muttin¹,

Campbell²

2021

Marine Environmental Quality

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Modeling the tidal and sub-tidal hydrodynamics in a shallow, micro-tidal estuary

Cited by 38 publications

References 29 publications

Time scales in Galveston Bay: An unsteady estuary

Time scales in Galveston Bay: An unsteady estuary

A hydrodynamic model for Galveston Bay and the shelf in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Oil Spill Boom Strategy for Local Authorities Facing Coastal and Harbor Pollutions: A Survey of the European Research Project ISDAMP+

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