Exchange and transport time scales in the Seto Inland Sea

Five typical water volumes in the Seto Inland Sea are defined, and their average residence times, remnant functions, and residence time distribution functions are obtained, mainly from results of hydraulic model experiments; the average residence times and the functions well describe characteristics of exchange and transport of materials in the sea. A representative residence time, which is the average residence time of the total water in the inland sea, is about 15 months.     

Influence of tide and waves on water renewal in Óbidos Lagoon, Portugal

The role of oceanic tide, wind stress, freshwater river inflows, and waves in the long-term circulation and residence time in óbidos Lagoon is investigated using a sensitivity analysis carried out by means of a two-dimensional model. MOHID modeling system coupled to Steady-State Spectral Wave model for simulate óbidos Lagoon circulation were implemented. For residence time calculus, a Lagrangian transport model was used. Tidal forcing is shown to be the dominant forcing, although storm waves must be considered to simulate accurately the long-term circulation. Tidal forcing enhances a spatial distribution in water residence time. Renewal time scales varies from values of 2 days in the near-ocean areas and 3 weeks in the inner areas. Freshwater river inflows decrease the residence time, while waves increase. In heavy rain periods, the water residence time decreases by about 40% in the upper lagoon. When wave forcing is considered, the residence time increases between 10% and 50% depending on lagoon area. The increase in residence time is explained by the sea level rise within lagoon (~1 m above average lagoon sea level) during storm wave periods. Average residence time is 16 days for tidal forcing, 9 days when the rivers are included (wet period), and 18 days when the waves are considered.     

A coastal prediction system as an event response tool: Particle tracking simulation of an anhydrous ammonia spill in Tampa Bay

A coastal prediction system for Tampa Bay, comprised of a numerical circulation model and Lagrangian particle transport model, rapidly produces hindcast/forecast simulations that alert authorities to high impact areas following the introduction of hazardous material into the bay. The effectiveness of the prediction system as an event response tool is evaluated during an anhydrous ammonia spill. A week-long simulation predicts the trajectory of the material due to winds and currents. Physical transport of the model particles alternates from being tidally driven to being driven both by wind action and residual circulation. A forecast simulation showing particle distribution drove field sampling that resulted in the detection of a Pseudo-nitzschia bloom likely initiated from excess ammonium in the bay. An online component of the coastal prediction system is in development to better manage response and mitigation efforts for future hazardous material spills in Tampa Bay.     

Numerical determination of residence time and age in a partially mixed estuary using three-dimensional hydrodynamic model

This paper documents a numerical modeling study to calculate the residence time and age of dissolved substances in a partially mixed estuary. A three-dimensional, time-dependent hydrodynamic model was established and applied to the Danshuei River estuarine system and adjacent coastal sea in Taiwan. The model showed good agreement with observations of surface elevation, tidal currents and salinity made in 2002. The model was then applied to calculate the residence time and age distribution response to different freshwater discharges with and without density-induced circulations in the Danshuei River estuarine system. Regression analysis of model results reveals that an exponential equation can be used to correlate the residence time to change of freshwater input. The simulated results show it takes approximately 10, 4.5, and 3 days, respectively, for a water parcel that has entered the headwaters of the estuary to be transported out of the estuary under low, mean, and high flow conditions with density-induced circulation. The calculated age with density-induced circulation is less than that without density-induced circulation. The age of the surface layer is less than that at the bottom layer. Overall the study shows that freshwater discharges are the important factors in controlling the transport of dissolved substances in the Danshuei River estuarine system.     

The use of Lagrangian trajectories for the identification of the environmentally safe fairways

We propose and test a method for the optimisation of marine fairways to minimise the risk to high-value areas, based on statistical analysis of Lagrangian trajectories of current-driven pollution transport. The offshore areas are quantified according to the probability of pollution released in these areas to reach vulnerable regions. The method contains an eddy-resolving circulation model, a scheme for tracking of Lagrangian trajectories, a technique for the calculation of quantities characterising the potential of different sea areas to supply adverse impacts, and routines to construct the optimum fairway. The gain is expressed in terms of the probability of pollution transport to the nearshore and the associated time (particle age). The use of the optimum fairway would decrease the probability of coastal pollution by 40% or increase the average time of reaching the pollution to the coast from 5.3 to about 9 days in the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea.     

Scale-based statistical analysis of sediment fluxes

The flux of sediments over a line perpendicular to the main flow direction was measured during experiments of weak one-dimensional bed load. The standard definition of solid discharge through a boundary is a straightforward issue, yet the dependence of resulting values on the spatial and temporal scales used as a support for measurement is not. In this work, first- and second-order statistics of sediment transport rates were analyzed as scale-dependent quantities. The spatial scales used were significantly larger than the particle size, while the temporal scales covered a two-orders-of-magnitude range enabling the physical time scales of the single particles to be appreciated. In addition, the relationship between sediment fluxes, process intermittency and particle interarrival times was investigated. Proper knowledge of the scale-dependence of statistical properties of sediment transport fluxes may allow for adequate design of measuring campaigns (both in the laboratory and field) and for sound interpretation of data from multiple sources.     

Residence time of pollutants discharged in the Gulf of Kachchh, northwestern Arabian Sea

A 2D Hydrodynamic-Particle Analysis model was applied to the Gulf of Kachchh (GoK) to estimate the residence time of pollutants. The tidal currents in the Gulf have a strong E-W component, which prevents the material in the north being transported towards south. In the regions situated very close to the open boundary, where the GoK waters exchange freely with the northern Arabian Sea, dilution takes place rapidly with the incoming waters and hence, the residence time is on the order of 1 day. Influence of eddies and a dynamic barrier across the Sikka-Mundra section on the residence time is apparent. Eastern GoK shows a relatively large residence time, on the order of 2-4 days, warranting caution while releasing industrial wastes in the northeastern Gulf. The region around location-5 behaves like a bay; the dissolved matter gets trapped in this bay and the residence time increases by 3-4 days.     

Discharge and transport processes along the German Baltic Sea Coast

The western Baltic Sea infront of the German coast is a highly variable dynamical system, dominated by a complex and small-scale morphometry, the water exchange between the Baltic and North Seas, and driven by local wind. Neither data collection, nor satellite images or model simulations alone were able to explain the observed spatial patterns and transport processes. Therefore, all these methods were combined to explain the dynamical features and to systematise them according to the typical local wind pattern and time series. The aim was to develop an instrument for regional authorities which supports the interpretation of coastal water monitoring data and forms a basis for an improved monitoring strategy. Satellite data of sea surface temperature and ocean colour from the sensors NOAA-AVHRR and SeaWiFS were applied for synoptic investigations in the entire region and Landsat-7-ETM+ for regional studies. Model simulations were performed for the western Baltic using a 3D model MOM-3 and for the Szczecin Lagoon using 2D model FEMFLOW. For the first time, regional particularities in the coastal dynamical features and processes are derived for the main wind directions and for transitions between dominant wind situations west and east as derived from wind statistics. The simulated transport of particles released from different coastal and open sea sources indicate the affected areas during changing forcing conditions. The results support the interpretation of acquired coastal monitoring data as well as the assessment and optimisation of the monitoring programme.     

The effect of secondary circulation on the salt distribution in a sinuous coastal plain estuary: Satilla River,GA, USA

An analysis of observational data suggests salt exchange in a sinuous coastal plain estuary is significantly impacted by counter-rotating residual horizontal eddies formed by channel curvature in meandering channels. The parts of adjacent eddies that advect material downstream follow the deep part of the channel where the flow continually criss-crosses from one side of the channel to the other and follows a relatively unimpeded trajectory to the sea. On the other hand, the parts of adjacent eddies that advect material upstream cross the channel at a different location where it encounters a series of shoals. In this case, the resulting upstream transport of salt is relatively inefficient and retards the rate at which salt can disperse upstream into the estuary. The strength of these circulations is modulated by the spring/neap cycle, allowing for a stronger gravitational mode of exchange to develop near neap tides, but has minimal impact on the length of the salt intrusion. It is suggested that the impeded upstream salt transport accounts for the observation that an impulse of river discharge advects a given isohaline 10 km downstream in 20 days, but that after the impulse, 70 days are required to return the isohaline to a similar position, counter to the notion of a simple dependence of intrusion length on river discharge.     

CATCHMENT-WIDE, SECTIONAL AND LOCAL ASPECTS IN SEDIMENT TRANSPORT MODELLING AND MONITORING

1.INTRODUCTIONOVerthelastdecadesmuchprogresshasbeenmadeconcerningsedimenttransPOrtmodellingandmonitoring.Thedifferelltiationincatchmeflt-tvide,sectionalandlocalaspectsreflectsthefactthatmanysedimenttransportandpredictionmodelsaredealingwithspecialpartsofriverSystems,mainlydifferinginscale.Overthepastyears,scaleissuesinhydrologyhaverapidlyincreasedinimportance(BLoSCHL,1996).Onalargescaletheapplicationoffractals,self-similarityanalysistolandscapeorganizationandoptimalchannelnetlvorks(O…     

Spatial and temporal patterns of sediment storage over 45 years in Carnation Creek,BC, a previously glaciated mountain catchment

The movement of sediment through mountain river networks remains difficult to predict, as processes beyond streamflow and particle size are responsible for the entrainment and transport of bedload sediment. In deglaciated catchments, additional complexity arises from glacial impacts on landscape organization. Research to date indicates that the quantity of sediment stored in the channel is an important component of sediment transport in systems which alternate between supply and transport limited states, but limited long-term field data exist which can capture storage-transfer dynamics over a timescale encompassing episodic supply typical of mountain streams. We use a 45-year dataset with annual and decadal-scale data on sediment storage, channel morphology, and wood loading to investigate the spatial and temporal organization of storage in Carnation Creek, a previously glaciated 11 km² catchment on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Sediment is supplied episodically to the channel, including additions from debris flows in the early 1980s just upstream of the studied channel region. Analyzing the spatial and temporal organization of sediment storage along 3.0 km of channel mainstem reveals a characteristic storage wavelength similar to the annual bedload particle travel distance. Over time, two scales of variation in storage are observed: small-scale fluctuation of 3–10 years corresponding to local erosional and depositional processes, and larger scale response over 25–35 years related to supply of sediment from hillslopes. Complex relationships between storage and sediment transfer (i.e., annual change in storage) are identified, with decadal-scale hysteresis present in storage-transfer relations in sites influenced by hillslope sediment and logjams. We propose a conceptual model linking landscape organization to temporal variability in storage and to storage–export cycles. Collectively, our results reaffirm the importance of storage to sediment transport and channel morphology, and highlight the complexity of storage–transport interactions. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Progressive change of tidal wave characteristics from the eastern Yellow Sea to the Asan Bay,a strongly convergent bay in the west coast of Korea

Although there have been studies on the tide in convergent bay (or estuary), the tide change in terms of phase speed, amplitude, and phase difference between elevation and tidal current from a coastal ocean to a convergent bay has not been clearly shown so far. This study systematically examines the change of tidal wave characteristics from the eastern Yellow Sea to the Asan Bay, a strongly convergent bay on the west coast of Korea, using observations and an analytical model. As the tidal wave propagates from the eastern Yellow Sea into the Asan Bay, the phase speed, amplitude, and phase difference between elevation and tidal current increase along the channel. Such a phenomenon represents a unique example of tide change from a coastal ocean to a convergent bay, indicating dominance of convergence over friction in the Asan Bay. Both analytically computed tidal amplitude and travelling time compare well with observations. In the Asan Bay, the influence of the reflected wave is only felt in the upper one fifth of the bay and is almost unperceivable in the rest of the bay. The analytical analyses presented in this paper are particularly useful for understanding the relative importance of channel convergence, bottom friction, and reflected wave on the tidal characteristics change along the channel and the proposed method could be applicable to other estuaries.     

Effect of channel size on solute residence time distributions in rivers

The effect of channel size on residence time distributions (RTDs) of solute in rivers is investigated in this paper using tracer test data and the variable residence time (VART) model. Specifically, the investigation focuses on the influence of shear dispersion and hyporheic exchange on the shape of solute RTD, and how these two transport processes prevail in larger and smaller streams, respectively, leading to distinct tails of RTD. Simulation results show that (1) RTDs are dispersion-dependent and thereby channel-size (scale) dependent. RTDs increasing longitudinal dispersion coefficient. Small streams with negligible dispersion coefficient may display various types of RTD from upward curving patterns to a straight line (power-law distributions) and further to downward curving lognormal distributions when plotted in log–log coordinates. Moderate-sized rivers are transitional in terms of RTDs and commonly exhibit lognormal and power-law RTDs; (2) the incorporation of water and solute losses/gains in the VART model can improve simulation results and make parameter values more reasonable; (3) the ratio of time to peak concentration to the minimum mean residence time is equal to the recovery ratio of tracer. The relation provides a simple method for determining the minimum mean residence time; and (4) the VART model is able to reproduce various RTDs observed in rivers with 3–4 fitting parameters while no user-specified RTD functions are needed.     

夏季亚洲季风区对流层-平流层不可逆质量交换特征分析

基于2005年NCEP/GFS分析资料和拉格朗日粒子扩散模式的“Domain Filling”技术,以气块穿越对流层顶后的滞留时间为标准,诊断分析了夏季亚洲季风区对流层-平流层质量交换,重点讨论了对平流层大气成分收支具有实际意义的不可逆双向质量交换过程,并利用前向（后向）轨迹追踪方法,分析了其4天的“源（汇）”特征.研究结果表明：(1)对流层-平流层质量交换(Troposphere-Stratosphere mass Exchange,STE)的计算对滞留时间阈值的选择具有较强敏感性,大多数的气块在1～2天内可频繁地往返对流层顶.这些瞬时交换事件的考虑与否对穿越对流层顶的质量交换计算的准确性具有重要影响,尤其在中纬度的风暴轴区域.(2)从亚洲季风区对流层-平流层质量净交换纬向平均上看,45°N以南的区域为对流层向平流层的质量输送(Troposphere to Stratosphere mass Transport,TST),副热带地区为最强的上升支,而在45°N~55°N的中纬度地区是平流层向对流层质量输送（Stratosphere to Troposphere mass Transport,STT）.地理分布上,STT主要分布在青藏高原以北的东亚地区,与亚洲季风区夏季大尺度的槽区相对应.夏季整个亚洲季风区都是TST发生的区域,最大值位于青藏高原东南侧及其附近区域,该区域占亚洲季风区不可逆TST夏季平均总量的46%.(3)对流层-平流层质量交换的“源汇”特征分析表明,STT主要源于100°E以西、50°N以北的高纬地区,向下可以输送到中国东北部及朝鲜半岛北部等中纬度区域.而TST主要来源于中纬度和副热带地区的大气输送,向上穿越对流层顶高度以后,可分别向高纬的极地和热带地区输送,这意味着亚洲季风区夏季的TST水汽输送可能进入“热带管”中,进而可能对全球平流层水汽平衡产生重要影响.     

Numerical modeling of general circulation,thermohaline structure,and residence time in Gorgan Bay,Iran

Gorgan Bay is a semi-enclosed basin located in the southeast of the Caspian Sea, Iran. The bay is recognized as a resting place for migratory birds as well as a spawning habitat for native fish. However, apparently, no detailed research on its physical processes has previously been conducted. In this study, a 3D coupled hydrodynamic and solute transport model was used to investigate general circulation, thermohaline structure, and residence time in Gorgan Bay. Model outputs were validated against a set of field observations. Bottom friction and attenuation coefficient of light intensity were tuned in order to achieve optimum agreement with the observations. Results revealed that, due to the interaction between bathymetry and prevailing winds, a barotropic double-gyre circulation, dominating the general circulation, existed during all seasons in Gorgan Bay. Furthermore, temperature and salinity fluctuations in the bay were seasonal, due to the seasonal variability of atmospheric fluxes. Results also indicated that under the prevailing winds, the domain-averaged residence time in Gorgan Bay would be approximately 95 days. The rivers discharging into Gorgan Bay are considered as the main sources of nutrients in the bay. Since their mouths are located in the area with a residence time of over 100 days, Gorgan Bay could be at risk of eutrophication; it is necessary to adopt preventive measures against water quality degradation.     

3D analytical solution to the tidally induced Lagrangian residual current equations in a narrow bay

The 3D first-order Lagrangian residual velocity (LRV) equation is established, and its analytical solution is obtained in a narrow bay. The results show clearly the 3D structure of the first-order LRV. When the exponential bottom profile is assumed, the upper half layer of the water flows in through the deep channel from the open boundary directly to the head of the bay. Then the water will return to the area surrounding the lower half of the inflow area. The downwelling area is located mainly at the deep channel, while the upwelling area occupies both sides of the bay. The inter-tidal water transport, obtained by integrating the 3D first-order LRV through the water column, has a pattern similar to the previous study in which the 2D depth-averaged Lagrangian residual current equations were solved. The inter-tidal water transport is used to analyze the water exchange, and it is found that the water exchange at different cross sections increases smoothly with the distance between the cross sections and the head of the bay until about one wavelength. It is also found that the pattern of the breadth-averaged Lagrangian residual current varies with the length of the bay if a non-flat bottom profile is used. The depth-integrated LRV and the breadth-averaged LRV are mainly determined by the different terms of the tidal body force, with the former determined by the bottom friction related term and the latter by the eddy viscosity related term. When the bay is longer than one wavelength, different results in the outer bay can be observed.     

Influence of seasonal circulation on flushing of the Irish Sea

We applied a three-dimensional general ocean and coastal circulation model to the Irish Sea in order to determine water renewal time scales in the region. The model was forced with meteorological data for 1995, a year with relatively warm summer and when extensive hydrographic surveys were conducted in the Irish Sea. We investigated intra-annual variability in the rates of net flow through the Irish Sea and carried out several flushing simulations based on conservative tracer transport. The results indicate that the net northward flow of 2.50 km³/d is seasonally highly variable and under certain conditions is reversed to southward. The variability in obtained residence times is high; baroclinic effects are significant. Obtained results point at the importance of spatial and temporal consideration for transport of pollutants in the shelf seas. Implications for management are numerous and involve activities such as transport, fishing, use of resources, nature conservation, monitoring, tourism and recreation.