Effect of water residence time on annual export and denitrification of nitrogen in estuaries: A model analysis

A simple model of annual average response of an estuary to mean nitrogen loading rate and freshwater residence time was developed and tested. It uses nitrogen inputs from land, deposition from the atmosphere, and first-order calculations of internal loss rate and net export to perform a steady-state analysis over a yearly cycle. The model calculates the fraction of total nitrogen input from land and the atmosphere that is exported and the fraction that is denitrified or lost to other processes within the estuary. The model was tested against data from the literature for 11 North American and European estuaries having a wide range of physical characteristics, nitrogen loading rates, and geographical and climatic settings. The model shows that the fraction of nitrogen entering an estuary that is exported or denitrified can be predicted from the freshwater residence time. The first-order rate constant for nitrogen loss within an estuary, as a fraction of total nitrogen in the water column, is 0.30 mo⁻¹. Denitrification typically accounts for 69–75% of the total annual net nitrogen removal from the water column by processes within the estuary. The model makes explicit the dependence of nitrogen concentration in the water column on the loading rate of nitrogen, water residence time, estuary volume, and the rate constant for loss within the estuary.     

Modeling the Hydrodynamic and Morphologic Response of an Estuary Restoration

Estuary evolution is investigated using the hydrodynamic and sediment transport model, Delft3D, to study the response of a dammed tidal basin to restored tidal processes. The development of decadal (10-year) morphological simulations of the restored estuary required simplifying several data inputs and implementing a time-scale acceleration technique. An innovative river sediment discharge schematization was developed that connected sediment discharge to morphological change in the estuary. Mud erodibility parameters were determined from laboratory analysis of sediment cores from the modern lakebed and statistical refinement with a Bayes network of the probability of occurrence. The changing estuary morphology appears to have a dominant impact on the physical habitat (substrate, inundation frequency, mean salinity, and salinity range). The numerical model provides a tool to compare the functions of the historical estuary and possible future alternatives for a restored estuary. Sensitivity of the morphological model to sediment types and erodibility parameters was also examined. A conceptual model covering morphology and indicators of physical habitat for three phases of estuary evolution during restoration is presented that could be applied to estuarine systems that are severely out of equilibrium.     

用氢氧稳定同位素评价闽江河口区地下水输入

通过分析闽江河口区降水、地表水和地下水的氢氧稳定同位素特征,揭示降水的环境同位素效应和地下水的形成演化规律,定量评价河口区多种水体的混合过程及地下水输入量。夏季的降水氢氧同位素组成相对贫化,呈现出降雨量效应。在δ18O与δD关系图上,闽江北岸基岩裂隙水、平原及丘陵区浅层地下水均落在福州降水线上,而南岸平原及丘陵区浅层地下水大部分落在福州降水线右下方,其拟合线与降水线交点与5~9月农灌期降水氢氧同位素加权值接近,表明北岸地下水主要来自降水补给,而南岸地下水同时接受灌溉水和降水补给,并在入渗过程中经历了不同程度的蒸发作用。闽江河口段除接受两岸地下水补给外,局部河段还接受断裂带裂隙水补给。将线性端元混合模型、数字高程模型和地下水文分析法结合起来定量评价地下水的输入和各水体的混合过程,结果显示,在河口段淡水区,地下水混合比率上限为8.8%,其中包括0.4%的断裂带裂隙水;在河口段淡咸水混合区,淡水(河水、地下水)和海水的混合比为53:47,其中地下水的保守混合比率为1.7%;枯水期闽江河口段地下水保守输入量为87.0 m3/s,是闽江径流量的12.8%。     

A modeling study of the Satilla River estuary,Georgia. I: Flooding-drying process and water exchange over the salt marsh-estuary-shelf complex

The flooding-drying process over the intertidal zone of the Satilla River estuary of Georgia was examined using a three-dimensional (3-D) primitive equations numerical model with Mellor and Yamada's (1982) level 2.5 turbulent closure scheme. The model was forced by the semi-diurnal M₂, S₂, and N₂ tides and freshwater discharge at the upstream end of the estuary. The intertidal salt marsh was treated using a 3-D wet-dry point treatment technique that was developed for the σ-coordinate transformation estuary model. Good agreement was found between model-data comparison at anchor monitoring sites and also along the estuary that suggested that the model provided a reasonable simulation of the temporal and spatial distribution of the 3-D tidal current and salinity in the Satilla River estuary. Numerical experiments have shown that the flooding-drying process plays a key role in the simulation of tidal currents in the main river channel and in water transport over the estuarine-salt marsh complex. Ignoring this process could lead to a 50% under-estimation of the amplitude of tidal currents. The model results also revealed a complex spatial structure of the residual flow in the main channel of the river, with characteristics of multiple eddy-like cell circulations. These complicated residual currents are formed due to tidal rectification over variable topography with superimposition of inertial effects, asymmetry of tidal currents, and baroclinic pressure gradients. Water exchanges over the estuary-intertidal salt marsh complex are asymmetric across the estuary, and tend to vary periodically on the northern side while quickly washing out of the marsh zone on the southern side. Strong Stokes’ drifting velocity was predicted in the estuary, so that the Lagrangian trajectories of particles were characterized by strong nonlinear processes that differ significantly from those estimated by the Eulerian residual currents.     

Manganese and suspended matter in the Yaquina Estuary,Oregon

The longitudinal distribution of total suspended matter and total, dissolved, and particulate manganese in a small coastal plain estuary is described. The distribution of manganese is a consequence of estuarine circulation; a within-estuary maximum is inversely correlated with river flow, and is a function of residence time in the estuary, resuspension in the upper estuary, and desorption from particles introduced from within the estuary or from the river. The turbidity maximum is similarly most pronounced during low river flows. The upper estuary (salinity <15‰), comprising a small percentage of the total estuary volume during low flow, receives material from the river and along the bottom from the lower estuary; this material is returned to the water column by resuspension and desorption from estuarine and riverine particles. The lower estuary tends to damp out these processes because of the greater volume and (residence) time available for mixing.     

河口海岸桥隧工程设计流速推算

跨海桥隧工程设计需要推算工程位置不同重现期设计流速,由于现场缺乏长期实测流速资料,设计流速推算存在很大困难。研究提出了采用不同重现期典型风暴潮过程推算河口海岸设计流速的数值模拟方法,对河口地区考虑洪水径流与风暴潮流的耦合。在依据澳门验潮站1925—2003年实测潮位资料分析珠江口海域风暴潮过程特征的基础上,结合潮位和潮差年极值频率分析结果构建了不同重现期典型风暴潮潮型。采用平面二维水动力数学模型模拟了不同重现期风暴潮和上游一般洪水组合条件下珠江口水域的流场,得出港珠澳大桥沿线各控制点处设计流速。     

A modeling study of the Satilla River estuary,Georgia. II: suspended sediment

A three-dimensional (3-D) suspended sediment model was coupled with a 3-D hydrodynamic numerical model and used to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of suspended sediments in the Satilla River estuary of Georgia. The hydrodynamic model was a modified ECOM-si model with inclusion of the flooding-drying cycle over intertidal salt marshes. The suspended sediment model consisted of a simple passive tracer equation with inclusion of sinking, resuspension, and sedimentation processes. The coupled model was driven by tidal forcing at the open boundary over the inner shelf of the South Atlantic Bight and real-time river discharge at the upstream end of the estuary, with a uniform initial distribution of total suspended sediment (TSS). The initial conditions for salinity were specified using observations taken along the estuary. The coupled model provided a reasonable simulation of both the spatial and temporal distributions of observed TSS concentration. Model-predicted TSS concentrations varied over a tidal cycle; they were highest at maximum flood and ebb tidal phases and lowest at slack tides. Model-guided process studies suggest that the spatial distribution of TSS concentration in the Satilla River estuary is controlled by a complex nonlinear physical process associated with the convergence and divergence of residual flow, a non-uniform along-estuary distribution of bottom stress, and the inertial effects of a curved shoreline.     

Stormwater contamination of urban estuaries. 1. Predicting the build-up of heavy metals in sediments

Many coastal cities are situated around estuaries, which act as traps for urban-derived contamination. To investigate urban development options, to help manage the urbanization process, and to set priorities for retrofitting urban stormwater controls, a model was developed to predict the build-up of contaminants (Pb, Zn, and Cu) in the sediments of sheltered estuaries. This model broadly integrates processes occurring in the estuary and predicts the distribution of sediment-associated contaminants throughout the estuary. It is based on yields of suspended sediment and contaminants from developing and mature catchments and is applicable to shallow, sheltered estuaries and harbors that have accumulated fine sediments. The information required to develop and run the model, and the sensitivity of the model to variation in its parameters, is described in detail.     

Sorption Model for Dissolved and Leachable Particulate Aluminium in the Great Ouse Estuary, England

The behaviour of dissolved Al in the Great Ouse estuary, in particular with respect to salinity, is complex. There is, however, evidence from field data as well as laboratory mixing experiments to suggest that flocculation and sorption mechanisms play important roles affecting the concentrations of dissolved Al during the early stages of estuarine mixing. In contrast, a near-buffering of dissolved Al occurs in the entire stretch of the estuary (salinity >0.2) with concentrations varying around 1.4 μg l⁻¹. This distribution and lack of variation with salinity is attributable to sorption processes which might dominate over other processes in these turbid estuarine waters (suspended particulate load 48–888 mg l⁻¹) impacting dissolved Al levels. Sorption models have been developed for both dissolved and leachable particulate Al concentrations in these waters. These observations provide compelling evidence of sorption processes that might be important in the geochemistry of Al in estuarine waters.     

Relative effects of physical and biological processes on nutrient and phytoplankton dynamics in a shallow estuary after a storm event

The effects of advection, dispersion, and biological processes on nitrogen and phytoplankton dynamics after a storm event in December 2002 are investigated in an estuary located on the northern New South Wales coast, Australia. Salinity observations for 16 d after the storm are used to estimate hydrodynamic transports for a one-dimensional box model. A biological model with nitrogen limited phytoplankton growth, mussel grazing, and a phytoplankton mortality term is forced by the calculated transports. The model captured important aspects of the temporal and spatial dynamics of the bloom. A quantitative analysis of hydrodynamic and biological processes shows that increased phytoplankton biomass due to elevated nitrogen loads after the storm was not primarily regulated by advection or dispersion in spite of an increase in river flow from <1 to 928×10³ m³ d⁻¹. Of the dissolved nitrogen that entered the surface layer of the estuary in the 16 d following the storm event, the model estimated that 28% was lost through exchange with the ocean or bottom layers, while 15% was removed by the grazing of just one mussel species,Xenostrobus securis, on phytoplankton, and 50% was lost through other biological phytoplankton loss processes.X. securis grazing remained an important loss process even when the estimated biological parameters in the model were varied by factors of ± 2. The intertidal mangrove pneumatophore habitat ofX. securis allows filtering of the upper water column from the lateral boundaries when the water column is vertically stratified, exerting top-down control on phytoplankton biomass.     

A Modeling Study of the Impacts of Mississippi River Diversion and Sea-Level Rise on Water Quality of a Deltaic Estuary

Freshwater and sediment management in estuaries affects water quality, particularly in deltaic estuaries. Furthermore, climate change-induced sea-level rise (SLR) and land subsidence also affect estuarine water quality by changing salinity, circulation, stratification, sedimentation, erosion, residence time, and other physical and ecological processes. However, little is known about how the magnitudes and spatial and temporal patterns in estuarine water quality variables will change in response to freshwater and sediment management in the context of future SLR. In this study, we applied the Delft3D model that couples hydrodynamics and water quality processes to examine the spatial and temporal variations of salinity, total suspended solids, and chlorophyll-α concentration in response to small (142 m³ s^?1) and large (7080 m³ s^?1) Mississippi River (MR) diversions under low (0.38 m) and high (1.44 m) relative SLR (RSLR = eustatic SLR + subsidence) scenarios in the Breton Sound Estuary, Louisiana, USA. The hydrodynamics and water quality model were calibrated and validated via field observations at multiple stations across the estuary. Model results indicate that the large MR diversion would significantly affect the magnitude and spatial and temporal patterns of the studied water quality variables across the entire estuary, whereas the small diversion tends to influence water quality only in small areas near the diversion. RSLR would also play a significant role on the spatial heterogeneity in estuary water quality by acting as an opposite force to river diversions; however, RSLR plays a greater role than the small-scale diversion on the magnitude and spatial pattern of the water quality parameters in this deltaic estuary.     

Driving forces and management strategies for estuaries in northern China

Estuaries, which lie at the end of rivers, belong to the interlocking area between marine ecosystems and terrestrial ecosystems. In the estuary region, there are plenty of biological resources that carry many important ecosystem services. However, severe degradation of the estuary ecosystem in northern China has been caused by anthropogenic disturbances, including water pollution from upstream area, change of marine environmental dynamics, animal habitat loss, and unreasonable exploitation in the estuary region. In order to provide scientific evidence for restoration and conservation of the estuary ecosystem, we collected data from published literature to analyze the ecological problems in several main estuary regions in northern China, such as the Yellow River estuary, Liaohe River estuary, Haihe River estuary, Yalu River estuary, and some others. The main ecological problems in the estuary region of northern China include the input decrease of fresh water from rivers, the change of the sediment input from rivers, the destruction of the estuary wetland ecosystem, the environmental pollution in the estuary region, the erosion in the estuary region, seawater encroachment, the biodiversity decline of the estuary region, and the depletion of the fish resources in the estuary region. Meanwhile, the driving forces for these ecological problems in the estuary region were also assessed. Based on the analysis of these driving forces, we propose several pieces of advice for integrated estuary management in northern China, including the creation of a management system for estuary conservation, improvement of the means and strength of the environmental law execution, increased investment on scientific research in the estuary ecosystem, improvement of public participation on the conservation for the estuary environment and biodiversity, and construction of a monitoring system for the estuary environment.     

Source of sediments and metal fractionation in two Chinese estuarine marshes

The Changjiang and the Jiulong Estuaries, located in eastern and southeastern China, respectively, have different geomorphologic and tidal processes as well as anthropogenic development in their associated watersheds. Sediments in the Changjiang estuary mostly consist of SiO₂, CaO and MgO (mean percentages of 63.9, 4.34 and 2.35%), whereas sediments from the Jiulong estuary mostly consist of Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃ and organic matter (mean percentages 19.2, 6.82 and 4.14%). The Jiulong estuarine sediments contain more than twice the concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, than those from the Changjiang estuary. In the Jiulong estuary, these heavy metals are associated with carbonates and organic matter, whereas in the Changjiang estuary, they are associated with residual fractions or clay. Sediments from the Changjiang estuary, mostly sediments with little organic matter, do not efficiently sequester anthropogenic-derived trace metals. In contrast, sediments from the Jiulong estuary consist of a mixture of fluvial and marine matter which can sequester heavy metals contributed by larger landscapes with industrial and municipal wastewater.     

Seasonal cycle and mass balance of cadmium in an estuary with an agricultural catchment: The Morlaix River estuary (Brittany,France)

Cadmium (Cd) variations were investigated over an annual cycle (12 surveys between February 1998–January 1999) in the Morlaix estuary (Brittany, France) in both the water column and the benthic compartment in relation to hydrological conditions. The drainage basin of the Morlaix River estuary is predominantly agricultural in character. Dissolved Cd concentrations in the water column varied from 0.04 to 0.48 nM. Particulate Cd concentrations ranged from 1 to 64 nmol g⁻¹. These concentrations reach levels commonly observed in estuaries affected by heavy industrial activities. Extensive agricultural activities in the drainage basin may be responsible for Cd levels above pristine conditions. Metal concentrations varied significantly over the seasonal cycle and the dissolved fraction exhibited high values in summer months. Particulate concentrations were always lowest during this season. In the benthic compartment, Cd concentrations in surface sediment varied from 0.4 to 5.0 nmol g⁻¹ and from 0.2 to 5.0 nM in porewaters. Concentrations in sediment were slightly affected by Cd contamination and temporal changes were important over the seasonal cycle. The variations seem to be controlled by the succession of sedimentation and erosion processes, which are tightly linked to seasonal changes in river discharge. A box model was constructed based on known Cd sources and sinks in the estuary. Cd is chiefly brought into the estuary by the Morlaix River and accumulates within the estuary. The accumulation within the estuary represents from 6.3 to 7.2 kg yr⁻¹.     

Transport in the Hudson estuary: A modeling study of estuarine circulation and tidal trapping

The effects of estuarine circulation and tidal trapping on transport in the Hudson estuary were investigated by a large-scale, high-resolution numerical model simulation of a tracer release. The modeled and measured longitudinal profiles of surface tracer concentrations (plumes) differ from the ideal Gaussian shape in two ways: on a large scale the plume is asymmetric with the downstream end stretching out farther, and small-scale (1–2 km) peaks are present at the upstream and downstream ends of the plume. A number of diagnostic model simulations (e.g., remove freshwater flow) were performed to understand the processes responsible for these features. These simulations show that the large-scale asymmetry is related to salinity. The salt causes an estuarine circulation that decreases vertical mixing (vertical density gradient), increases longitudinal dispersion (increased vertical and lateral gradients in longitudinal velocities), and increases net downstream velocities in the surface layer. Since salinity intrusion is confined to the downstream end of the tracer plume, only that part of the plume is effected by those processes, which leads to the largescale asymmetry. The small-scale peaks are due to tidal trapping. Small embayments along the estuary trap water and tracer as the plume passes by in the main channel. When the plume in the main channel has passed, the tracer is released back to the main channel, causing a secondary peak in the longitudinal profile.     

河流-潮汐耦合控制下河口湾坝体沉积动力学数值模拟

潮控河口湾坝体复杂的沉积特征及内部结构尚不清楚.通过建立理想化的潮控河口湾模型,采用沉积动力学数值模拟方法,开展不同流量与潮汐能量条件下潮控河口湾坝体及内部夹层的沉积定量化模拟.结果表明,在理想情况下,大潮汐能量、中等流量条件下潮控河口湾坝体大规模发育.在潮汐能量因素分析中,潮控河口湾坝体长宽比为2~15,夹层长度集中在8 km,夹层厚度为0.1~0.2 m;在流量因素分析中,潮控河口湾坝体长宽比为1.5~9.0,夹层长度为1~2 km,夹层厚度为0.1~0.2 m.表明河流和潮汐共同作用控制着潮控河口湾坝体与夹层的形成与分布,但是潮汐作用更显著.基于沉积动力学对潮控河口湾沉积过程开展了数值模拟研究,得到了井震数据的验证,为潮控河口湾体系的沉积演化提供了新思路,从而指导潮控河口湾含油储层的勘探和开发.      

The dynamics of conservative mixing in estuaries

Mixing plots, in which a dissolved constituent is plotted against salinity or chlorinity, are commonly used to interpret conservative and non-conservative processes in estuarine systems. A bend in the resulting curve is generally interpreted as indicative of the reactive or non-conservative nature of the constituent or the presence of multiple sources or sinks within the estuary. This paper demonstrates analytically that bends in mixing curves may also result from temporal variations in end-member (river or ocean) constituent concentrations even for conservative constituents. A one-dimensional dispersion equation is used to calculate the distribution of salinity and a conservative constituent in a model estuary. Both straight and bent mixing curves are shown resulting simply from changing the variability of the river constituent concentration. For no variability the curve is straight. For variability with a period much less than the flushing time, the average curve for a general data set straight, whereas the curve for a synoptic data set is bent. For variability with a period greater than the flushing time a bent curve results. Since bent mixing curves can occur for conservative properties, the use of these curves for interpretation of estuarine processes must be undertaken with an understanding of the temporal variability of the river and ocean constituents and their relationship to the estuary mixing properties and flushing time.     

径潮动力对长江河口滞流点的影响

为研究三峡蓄水后滞流点的时空变化规律,应用ECOMSED模型模拟长江河口在不同径流、潮流作用下的水流动态过程。结果表明:北支大洪水期下移幅度大,涨潮动力强劲,随潮流变化大;南侧变化幅度整体较北支小,随径流的变化幅度自大至小依次为北港、南槽、北槽;随潮流的变化幅度自大至小依次为南槽、北港、北槽。滞流点随径、潮条件变化时,受地形影响明显,三峡蓄水后,径流变化范围缩小,引起不同地貌单元滞流点范围不同程度的缩小,可据此认为,与滞流点位置一致的最大浑浊带范围呈现减小的趋势,由此可能引起最大浑浊带和地貌调整。     

Speciation of dissolved selenium in the Kaoping and Erhjen rivers and estuaries,southwestern Taiwan

Analytical methods of dissolved Se species in river water and seawater were established and applied to study dissolved Se speciation in the Kaoping and Erhjen rivers and estuaries, southwestern Taiwan. The Kaoping and Erhjen rivers and estuaries were respectively in relatively oxygenated and oxygen-deficient conditions as revealed from the distributions of dissolved oxygen, DOC, nutrients, and dissolved Mn. Concentrations of dissolved total Se increased downstream in the riverine sections, ranging from 0.6 nM to 1.2 nM for the Kaoping River and from 0.8 nM to 1.05 nM for the Erhjen River. The dissolved total Se was only slightly higher in the Erhjen middle estuary than in the Kaoping middle estuary in spite of heavier pollution in the former. The dissolved total Se behaved rather conservatively in the Kaoping estuary but nonconservatively in the Erhjen estuary resulting from anthropogenic inputs, and in this respect showed similarities with the behavior of redox-sensitive Mn. The predominant species of selenium were Se(VI) and organic Se in the Kaoping River and Se(VI) in the Kaoping estuary. The elevated concentration of Se(VI) in the Kaoping estuary may stem from the degradation of organic Se and oxidation of Se(IV). On the other hand, Se(IV) and organic Se were equally dominant in the Erhjen River, and Se(IV) was predominant through most of the Erhjen estuary. The elevated distribution of Se(IV) in the Erhjen middle estuary may result mostly from partial decomposition of organic Se, but further oxidation of Se(IV) was inhibited in reducing waters. However, Se(VI) became dominant at Erhjen outer estuary where water was oxygenated by the replacement of intruded coastal seawater. Apparently, the speciation of dissolved Se was mainly controlled by the biological and redox processes in the Kaoping and Erhjen rivers and estuaries.