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Axial Wind Effects on Stratification and Longitudinal Sediment Transport in a Convergent Estuary During Wet Season
Author(s) -
Chen Lianghong,
Gong Wenping,
Scully Malcom E.,
Zhang Heng,
Cheng Weicong,
Li Wei
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1029/2019jc015254
Subject(s) - stratification (seeds) , estuary , advection , wind stress , barotropic fluid , geology , sediment transport , kelvin wave , oceanography , sediment , estuarine water circulation , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , atmospheric sciences , geomorphology , seed dormancy , botany , germination , physics , geotechnical engineering , dormancy , thermodynamics , biology
The Coupled Ocean‐Atmosphere‐Wave‐Sediment Transport (COAWST) modeling system was used to examine axial wind effects on vertical stratification and sediment transport in a convergent estuary. The model demonstrated that stratification dynamics in the upper estuary (Kelvin number <1; Ke = fB g ′ h s) are dominated by longitudinal wind straining, whereas the dominant mechanism governing estuarine stratification in the lower estuary (Kelvin number ~1) is lateral wind straining. Barotropic advection contributes to seaward sediment transport and peaks during spring tides, whereas estuarine circulation causes landward sediment transport with a maximum during neap tides. Down‐estuary winds impose no obvious effects on longitudinal sediment flux, whereas up‐estuary winds contribute to enhanced seaward sediment flux by increasing the tidal oscillatory flux. The model also demonstrates that bottom friction is significantly influenced by vertical stratification over channel regions, which is indirectly affected by axial winds.

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