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7 - Flows Driven by Density Gradients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2022

Arnoldo Valle-Levinson
Arnoldo Valle-Levinson
Affiliation:
University of Florida
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Summary

This chapter describes residual flows driven exclusively by density gradients. Chapter 6, in contrast, presented residual flows forced only by winds, and Chapter 5 treated residual flows from tides. This chapter begins with a qualitative description of the flow arising from density gradients established by freshwater input to a semienclosed basin, that is, the density-driven exchange flow or gravitational circulation. It then goes into a dynamical description, grounded in fundamental physics. The dynamical description first considers lateral homogeneity and then allows for lateral variations caused by Earth’s rotation. It follows by considering lateral changes in bathymetry and of the relative contribution of frictional effects versus Earth’s rotation effects. The chapter concludes by exploring the influence of basins' width on the gravitational circulation. Along-basin variations in residual flow are considered in Chapter 8.

Keywords

gravitational circulationsalinity profilelateral dynamicslateral variability
Type
Chapter
Information
Introduction to Estuarine Hydrodynamics , pp. 98 - 123
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

Additional Sources

Burchard, H., Hetland, R.D., Schulz, E., and Schuttelaars, H.M. (2011) Drivers of residual estuarine circulation in tidally energetic estuaries: Straight and irrotational channels with parabolic cross section. J. Phys. Ocean. 41: 548–570.Google Scholar
Huntley, H.S., and Ryan, P. (2018) Wind effects on flow patterns and net fluxes in density‐driven high‐latitude channel flow. J. Geophys. Res. 123: 305–323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kasai, A., Hill, A.E., Fujiwara, T., and Simpson, J.H. (2000). Effect of the Earth’s rotation on the circulation in regions of freshwater influence. J. Geophys. Res. 105(16): 961–969.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valle‐Levinson, A. (2008) Density‐driven exchange flow in terms of the Kelvin and Ekman numbers. J. Geophys. Res. 113: C04001.Google Scholar
Whitney, M.M., and Jia, Y. (2020) Solutions for subtidal flow in channels and estuaries under different integral constraints. J. Geophys. Res.: Oceans 125: e2020JC016076.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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