Effect of channel bifurcation on residual estuarine circulation: Winyah Bay, South Carolina

The residual circulation pattern of Winyah Bay, the fourth largest estuary on the eastern coast of the US, is examined using stationary and shipborne current measurements during periods of low freshwater discharge. The estuary has a complex morphology with a single channel and narrow banks at the river entrance and the bay mouth, and a bifurcated channel system (main and western channels, respectively) in the middle part that appears to affect the residual circulation.Overall, the upper (single channel morphology) and middle (dual-channel morphology) parts of the estuary exhibit a baroclinic residual circulation. The presence of bifurcated channels in the middle part of the estuary modifies the typical gravitational circulation. The near-bed landward-directed residual flow is stronger in the deeper main channel than the shallower western channel. This is the result of the fact that the magnitude of residual flow scales with the water depth of the channel and it is also influenced by the opposing patterns of channel alignment in the northern and southern junctions. Analytical modeling confirms that the observed residual currents in the upper and middle estuary are density-induced. In the lower estuary, residual flow is directed seaward throughout the water column of the channel while in the adjacent shoals the residual flow is directed landward, suggesting that in contrast to the upper and middle estuary, the residual flow near the mouth is barotropic, controlled by the tides and the channel-bank morphology.     

Factors Affecting the Wintering Habitat of Major Fishery Resources in Southwestern Korean Waters

We investigated the temperature and salinity effects on the major fish species in the wintering grounds based on trawl surveys and oceanographic observations in the southwestern waters of Korea during March-early April in 2002-2003. The influence area of warm Kuroshio water was limited to the southwestern area of Korea in 2003 with a range of 7.7-16.3°C, 32.54-34.70 of salinity, wider than that of 2002. The number of fish species and density of major fish species in 2003 were higher than in 2002. Geographical estimation showed high proportions of species number and catches in the areas around Jeju Islands, southwestern waters and the southeastern coast of Korea. Five species; silver pomfret (Pampus echinogaster), hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus), anchovy (Engraulis japonicus), small yellow croaker (Larimichthys polyactis) and yellow goosefish (Lophius litulon) were most abundant, composing above 60% of the total catch in 2002 and 2003. More than 50% of catch in the major fish species were mostly distributed in the range of 9.5-11.0°C of temperature and 33.1-33.9 of salinity. Non-parametric estimation for the major species showed the 1st mode around 10°C and the 2nd mode at 8-9°C in 2002 and 11-14°C in 2003. A m o n g major fish species, hairtail was principally composed of juveniles, and larger individuals were caught in southeastern waters. These results are considered to be helpful for the areabased fishery management strategy for the wintering grounds of the Yellow Sea and coastal waters of Korea.     

CDOM and its contribution to the underwater light climate of a shallow, microtidal estuary in south-western Australia

Light attenuation (K_d) of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) by chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), total suspended solids (TSS) and chlorophyll a (Chl a) were measured at nine stations along an estuarine gradient in the Swan River, Western Australia, over 15 months. There were strong spatial gradients associated with the marine-freshwater transition along the 32 km of estuary sampled, as well as seasonal gradients mainly associated with rainfall, 80% of which occurs between May and September. CDOM absorbances at 440 nm reached a maximum of 10.9 m⁻¹ with the freshwater inflow but concentrations of suspended matter remained low throughout the sampling period (1.0–21.0 mg l⁻¹) under the diurnal tides of the estuary. CDOM was the dominant constituent of K_d and a stepwise multiple regression showed that 66% (p < 0.0001) of the variation in K_d can be explained by CDOM and an additional 8% (p < 0.0001) by TSS. As a consequence of this result, analysis into the influence of river discharge rates on CDOM absorbance levels was examined for 2002 using data collected during this study, and for 2000 and 2001 using historical dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and river discharge data. The outcome of this analysis infers that greater river discharge rates result in increased CDOM absorbances in the Swan River estuary.     

A modelling study of residence time in a macro-tidal estuary

This paper outlines a numerical modelling study to predict the average residence time of a conservative tracer in a macro-tidal estuary, namely the Mersey Estuary, UK. An integrated hydrodynamic-dispersion model was used to predict the average residence time in the estuary for various tidal level and freshwater discharge conditions. The numerical model was verified against six sets of field measured hydrodynamic data, with the model-predicted water elevations and salinity levels generally agreeing well with the field measurements. The numerical model results show that in the Mersey Estuary both the tidal level and river discharge affect significantly the predicted average residence time. The value of the average residence time is also shown to be closely linked to the intensity of the residual tidal current. This is due to the fact that a large proportion of the Upper and Inner Estuary dries out during low tides, thus a significant amount of the tracer material is transported through the deep channels. An increase in the freshwater discharge causes a considerable increase in the intensity of the residual current along the main channels and thus a reduction in the average residence time. The predicted overall tracer residence time for the whole estuary is relatively short for a relatively large estuary, ranging from less than 1 day to 4 days for various tidal level and freshwater flow combinations. When the tidal range and freshwater discharge are both small, then the local tracer residence time in the upper part of the estuary can be significantly longer than the values predicted for the middle and lower reaches of the estuary.     

南沙群岛珊瑚礁海域黑边鳍真鲨的年龄与生长

利用脊椎骨鉴定 2004年5～7月于南沙群岛珊瑚礁海域捕获的黑边鳍真鲨的年龄,进一步推算其Von Bertalanffy生长方程.结果表明：南沙群岛珊瑚礁海域黑边鳍真鲨优势年龄组为雌性5～7a,雄性4～7a;v-b生长方程相关参数为：K=0.127,L∞=188cm,t0＝-1.442a;其重量生长的拐点年龄为8.22a.     

虾池浮游植物群落特征及其与虾病的关系

１９９１年６月至９月对大连地区３个虾场养殖的中国对虾及虾池浮游植物群落进行了调查，研究了虾池浮植物群落的组成结构、数量分布、演替特征及其与虾病之间的关系。结果表明，虾池浮游植物群落组成和数量分布具有较大的突发性；优势种单一，多为赤潮生物种类，有些种类原本为底栖生物；群落演替时间短，变化快；养殖对虾发病症状为红腿和黄鳃，严重出现死亡。浮游植物的总量尤其是赤潮种类的总量与对虾的发病程度有正相关性；群     

杭州湾庵东浅滩地貌演变规律

杭州湾南岸庵东浅潍的地貌演变具有长周期、多年周期和年周期变化。浅滩舌部的进退、摆动,以及滩面高程和潮沟系统的变动,是周期性演变的主要表现。地貌过程各控制因素通过杭州湾湾口和湾顶两个高混浊带提供的输沙通道,以及浅滩输沙结构的调整,间接或直接影响浅滩的演变,出现各个层次的动力-地貌响应关系。其中长周期和多年周期响应与长江及钱塘江两河口系统的调整有关,枯水条件下河口系统上移,庵东浅滩供沙不足;丰水条件下,两输沙通道会于庵东浅滩,促进了浅滩的淤涨。在年周期的小尺度演变中,波浪条件具有重要的影响。     

Observed fluxes of water,salt and suspended sediment in a partly mixed estuary

Observations of the residual fluxes of water, salt and suspended sediment are presented for seven stations along the Tamar Estuary. The data include measurements over single spring and neap tidal cycles, and are generally applicable to medium or high run-off conditions.Surface to bed differences in salinity are typically of the order of several parts per thousand. Gravitational circulation is an important component of residual flow in the deep, lower reaches of the estuary. Here, Stokes drift is insignificant. In the shallow upper reaches, the major residual currents are generated by Stokes drift and freshwater inputs. Data are compared with predictions from Hansen and Rattray's (1966) model of estuarine circulation.Salt fluxes due to tidal pumping and vertical shear are directed up-estuary at spring tides, tidal pumping being dominant. Tidal pumping of salt is also directed up-estuary at neap tides, although it is insignificant in the lower reaches, where vertical shear dominates.Tidal pumping of suspended sediment is directed up-estuary near the head at spring tides, and probably contributes to the formation of the turbidity maximum. The existence of the turbidity maximum is predicted using a simplified model of the transport of water and sediment. The model shows that an additional mechanism for the existence of the turbidity maximum is an up-estuary maximum in the tidal current speeds (and thus resuspension). In the lower reaches, transport of suspended sediment is directed down-estuary at both spring and neap tides, and sediment is essentially flushed to sea with the fresh water.