Two Dimensional Aspects Of Salinity Intrusion In Estuaries

An experimental and analytical study of the basic factors which determine the instantaneous longitudinal distribution of salinity in a partially mixed estuary of constant section is presented. The mass-transfer equation is solved in two parts: (a) the quasi-steady-state convective-diffusion problem for an observer moving with the tidal velocity, and (b) the cyclic translation of saline water due to the tidal velocity. In the steady-state portion the apparent longitudinal diffusion coefficient is a function of the turbulence induced by the tide and of the internal circulations induced by the density difference. An expression is developed for the intrusion length as a function of the estuary length, mean depth, tidal amplitude and period, fresh-water discharge, ocean salinity, and estuary roughness. A stratification number is defined which expresses the degree of stratification or mixing in an estuary. (Author).