Unraveling salt fluxes: A tool to determine flux components and dispersion rates from 3D models

Kranenburg, Wouter; Kaaij, T. van der; Boogaard, Henk van den; Uittenbogaard, R.E.; Dijkstra, Yoeri M.

doi:10.1201/b21902-167

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…This can be used to estimate approximate parameter dependencies and is greatly helpful for understanding results of realistic models and observations. It also provides a useful tool for model reduction to operational one‐dimensional models (Kranenburg et al., 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salt Transport Regimes Caused by Tidal and Subtidal Processes in Narrow Estuaries

2022

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Tidally averaged transport of salt in estuaries is controlled by various subtidal and tidal processes. In this study, we show the relative importance of various subtidal and tidal transport processes in a width‐averaged sense. This is done for a large range of forcing and geometric parameters, which describe well‐mixed to salt wedge estuaries. To this end, we develop a width‐averaged process‐based model aimed at conducting and analyzing a large number of experiments (∼40,000). We find that the salt transport is dominated by one of seven salt transport balances, or regimes. Four of these regimes are dominated by subtidal processes, while the other three are dominated by tidal processes. Which regime occurs in a part of an estuary depends on four dimensionless parameters, representing local geometry, and forcing conditions. One of the regimes features salt import by correlations between the depth‐averaged tidal velocity and salinity. While this mechanism was previously only associated with along‐channel geometric variations, we find it can also be a dominant mechanism in a significant part of the parameter space due to river‐induced tidal asymmetry, independent of river geometry. We apply our classification to a case study of part of the Dutch Rhine delta and compare to decomposition results of a fully realistic three‐dimensional model. We find the estuary features two regimes, with import dominated by subtidal shear transport in the seaward part of the estuary and by depth‐averaged tidal correlations in the landward part of the estuary.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salt Transport Regimes Caused by Tidal and Subtidal Processes in Narrow Estuaries

2022

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“…This can be used to estimate approximate parameter dependencies and is greatly helpful for understanding results of realistic models and observations. It also provides a useful tool for model reduction to operational one-dimensional models (Kranenburg et al, 2016).…”

Section: Comparison With Other Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salt transport regimes caused by tidal and subtidal processes in narrow estuaries

Dijkstra

Schuttelaars

Kranenburg

2022

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The various subtidal and tidal transport processes each have a different sensitivity to changing forcing parameters (e.g., tides and river discharge) and geometry (depth or width). Hence, to understand how the salt intrusion and stratification in an estuary change with changing parameters, it is important to understand which mechanisms dominate the salt transport. However, there is currently no comprehensive theory that describes the relative importance of subtidal and tidal processes as a function of the estuarine parameters, such as depth, width, river run-off, or tides for general estuaries. This work contributes to such theory focusing on width-averaged processes.

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Unraveling salt fluxes: A tool to determine flux components and dispersion rates from 3D models

Cited by 2 publications

References 1 publication

Salt Transport Regimes Caused by Tidal and Subtidal Processes in Narrow Estuaries

Salt Transport Regimes Caused by Tidal and Subtidal Processes in Narrow Estuaries

Salt transport regimes caused by tidal and subtidal processes in narrow estuaries

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