Dynamics of Water, Salt, and Nutrients Exchange at the Inlets of Three Coastal Lagoons

The intertidal patterns at the inlet of three coastal lagoons (Agiasma, Porto Lagos, and Xirolimni) in Northern Greece were investigated by combining in situ samplings and computational efforts. These lagoons are Mediterranean, microtidal coastal systems, connected with the adjacent open sea (Thraci...

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Main Authors: Maria Zoidou, Nikolaos Kokkos, Georgios Sylaios
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-02-01
Series:Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/2/205
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author Maria Zoidou
Nikolaos Kokkos
Georgios Sylaios
author_facet Maria Zoidou
Nikolaos Kokkos
Georgios Sylaios
author_sort Maria Zoidou
collection DOAJ
description The intertidal patterns at the inlet of three coastal lagoons (Agiasma, Porto Lagos, and Xirolimni) in Northern Greece were investigated by combining in situ samplings and computational efforts. These lagoons are Mediterranean, microtidal coastal systems, connected with the adjacent open sea (Thracian Sea) through their inlet canals and are highly affected by the lagoon–sea exchange processes. Limited freshwater enters their basins, mostly due to precipitation and agricultural drainage. An intense monitoring program of water flow and quality at the mouth of the three lagoons was carried out, aiming to quantify the transport mechanisms of water, salt, and nutrients across the inlet canal under different tidal/meteorological conditions. Ebb currents were recorded higher than flood currents, and the temporal variability of the longitudinal velocity was characterized by asymmetries. Residual currents were important to the water exchange, with the Eulerian water, salt, and nutrient fluxes being an order of magnitude larger than the Stokes drift. Eulerian transport and tidal pumping are considered as important mechanisms for salt and nutrients exchange through the inlets. The return flow factor varied from 1 to 17.5% of the water exiting the lagoons in ebb, while the residence time ranged from 0.7 days to 4.2 days.
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spelling doaj.art-209f84d2b9fe410d89ea6ef58708de652023-11-23T20:35:12ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122022-02-0110220510.3390/jmse10020205Dynamics of Water, Salt, and Nutrients Exchange at the Inlets of Three Coastal LagoonsMaria Zoidou0Nikolaos Kokkos1Georgios Sylaios2Laboratory of Ecological Engineering and Technology, Department of Environmental Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, 67100 Xanthi, GreeceLaboratory of Ecological Engineering and Technology, Department of Environmental Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, 67100 Xanthi, GreeceLaboratory of Ecological Engineering and Technology, Department of Environmental Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, 67100 Xanthi, GreeceThe intertidal patterns at the inlet of three coastal lagoons (Agiasma, Porto Lagos, and Xirolimni) in Northern Greece were investigated by combining in situ samplings and computational efforts. These lagoons are Mediterranean, microtidal coastal systems, connected with the adjacent open sea (Thracian Sea) through their inlet canals and are highly affected by the lagoon–sea exchange processes. Limited freshwater enters their basins, mostly due to precipitation and agricultural drainage. An intense monitoring program of water flow and quality at the mouth of the three lagoons was carried out, aiming to quantify the transport mechanisms of water, salt, and nutrients across the inlet canal under different tidal/meteorological conditions. Ebb currents were recorded higher than flood currents, and the temporal variability of the longitudinal velocity was characterized by asymmetries. Residual currents were important to the water exchange, with the Eulerian water, salt, and nutrient fluxes being an order of magnitude larger than the Stokes drift. Eulerian transport and tidal pumping are considered as important mechanisms for salt and nutrients exchange through the inlets. The return flow factor varied from 1 to 17.5% of the water exiting the lagoons in ebb, while the residence time ranged from 0.7 days to 4.2 days.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/2/205water and salt balancenutrientsresidual currentsStokes driftresidence timeAgiasma
spellingShingle Maria Zoidou
Nikolaos Kokkos
Georgios Sylaios
Dynamics of Water, Salt, and Nutrients Exchange at the Inlets of Three Coastal Lagoons
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
water and salt balance
nutrients
residual currents
Stokes drift
residence time
Agiasma
title Dynamics of Water, Salt, and Nutrients Exchange at the Inlets of Three Coastal Lagoons
title_full Dynamics of Water, Salt, and Nutrients Exchange at the Inlets of Three Coastal Lagoons
title_fullStr Dynamics of Water, Salt, and Nutrients Exchange at the Inlets of Three Coastal Lagoons
title_full_unstemmed Dynamics of Water, Salt, and Nutrients Exchange at the Inlets of Three Coastal Lagoons
title_short Dynamics of Water, Salt, and Nutrients Exchange at the Inlets of Three Coastal Lagoons
title_sort dynamics of water salt and nutrients exchange at the inlets of three coastal lagoons
topic water and salt balance
nutrients
residual currents
Stokes drift
residence time
Agiasma
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/2/205
work_keys_str_mv AT mariazoidou dynamicsofwatersaltandnutrientsexchangeattheinletsofthreecoastallagoons
AT nikolaoskokkos dynamicsofwatersaltandnutrientsexchangeattheinletsofthreecoastallagoons
AT georgiossylaios dynamicsofwatersaltandnutrientsexchangeattheinletsofthreecoastallagoons