Mass and Salt Transfers and Halocline Depths in an Estuary.
Abstract
The paper re-examines the problem of mass and salt circulations in a fjord-type estuary, into which there is a steady discharge of fresh water. An outstanding contribution to this problem was made by Stommel and Farmer, who examined the relation between the fresh-water supply and the density difference between the upper and lower fluids. These are frequently separated by a pronounced halocline. Stommel and Farmer assumed a critical condition at the entrance to the estuary and closed the problem by assuming an 'overmixed' state in which the salinity of the upper fluid is a maximum subject to the other constraints of the problem. In the present paper the author assumes critical conditions (with a simple justification), but the problem is closed by assuming constant and equal Froude numbers in each layer in the double flow at the entrance. The depth of the halocline in the estuary is predicted by using recent laboratory experiments relating the depth to the entrainment velocity. (Modified author abstract)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1974
- Accession Number
- AD0787112
Entities
People
- Robert R. Long
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University