Extension of the general unit hydrograph theory for the spread of salinity in estuaries
<p>From both practical and theoretical perspectives, it is essential to be able to express observed salinity distributions in terms of simplified theoretical models, which enable qualitative assessments to be made in many problems concerning water resource utilization (such as intake of fresh...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2023-05-01
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Series: | Ocean Science |
Online Access: | https://os.copernicus.org/articles/19/603/2023/os-19-603-2023.pdf |
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author | H. Cai H. Cai H. Cai B. Li B. Li B. Li J. Gu J. Gu J. Gu T. Zhao E. Garel |
author_facet | H. Cai H. Cai H. Cai B. Li B. Li B. Li J. Gu J. Gu J. Gu T. Zhao E. Garel |
author_sort | H. Cai |
collection | DOAJ |
description | <p>From both practical and theoretical perspectives, it is
essential to be able to express observed salinity distributions in terms of
simplified theoretical models, which enable qualitative assessments to be
made in many problems concerning water resource utilization (such as intake
of fresh water) in estuaries. In this study, we propose a general and
analytical salt intrusion model inspired by Guo's general unit hydrograph
theory for flood hydrograph prediction in a watershed. To derive a simple,
general and analytical model of salinity distribution, we first make four
hypotheses on the longitudinal salinity gradient based on empirical
observations; we then derive a general unit hydrograph for the salinity
distribution along a partially mixed or well-mixed estuary. The newly
developed model can be well calibrated using a minimum of three salinity
measurements along the estuary axis and does converge towards zero when the
along-estuary distance approaches infinity asymptotically. The theory has
been successfully applied to reproduce the salt intrusion in 21 estuaries
worldwide, which suggests that the proposed method can be a useful tool for
quickly assessing the spread of salinity under a wide range of riverine and
tidal conditions and for quantifying the potential impacts of
human-induced and natural changes.</p> |
first_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:18:37Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-2b5b7aaa0fbf4a5180f0f8689abc2673 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1812-0784 1812-0792 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:18:37Z |
publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
publisher | Copernicus Publications |
record_format | Article |
series | Ocean Science |
spelling | doaj.art-2b5b7aaa0fbf4a5180f0f8689abc26732023-05-11T10:55:10ZengCopernicus PublicationsOcean Science1812-07841812-07922023-05-011960361410.5194/os-19-603-2023Extension of the general unit hydrograph theory for the spread of salinity in estuariesH. Cai0H. Cai1H. Cai2B. Li3B. Li4B. Li5J. Gu6J. Gu7J. Gu8T. Zhao9E. Garel10Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Research/State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Estuarine Hydraulic Technology, School of Ocean Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Coasts, Islands and Reefs/Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519082, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Zhuhai, 519082, China Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Research/State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Estuarine Hydraulic Technology, School of Ocean Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Coasts, Islands and Reefs/Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519082, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Zhuhai, 519082, China Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Research/State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Estuarine Hydraulic Technology, School of Ocean Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Coasts, Islands and Reefs/Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519082, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Zhuhai, 519082, China School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, ChinaCentre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIMA), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal<p>From both practical and theoretical perspectives, it is essential to be able to express observed salinity distributions in terms of simplified theoretical models, which enable qualitative assessments to be made in many problems concerning water resource utilization (such as intake of fresh water) in estuaries. In this study, we propose a general and analytical salt intrusion model inspired by Guo's general unit hydrograph theory for flood hydrograph prediction in a watershed. To derive a simple, general and analytical model of salinity distribution, we first make four hypotheses on the longitudinal salinity gradient based on empirical observations; we then derive a general unit hydrograph for the salinity distribution along a partially mixed or well-mixed estuary. The newly developed model can be well calibrated using a minimum of three salinity measurements along the estuary axis and does converge towards zero when the along-estuary distance approaches infinity asymptotically. The theory has been successfully applied to reproduce the salt intrusion in 21 estuaries worldwide, which suggests that the proposed method can be a useful tool for quickly assessing the spread of salinity under a wide range of riverine and tidal conditions and for quantifying the potential impacts of human-induced and natural changes.</p>https://os.copernicus.org/articles/19/603/2023/os-19-603-2023.pdf |
spellingShingle | H. Cai H. Cai H. Cai B. Li B. Li B. Li J. Gu J. Gu J. Gu T. Zhao E. Garel Extension of the general unit hydrograph theory for the spread of salinity in estuaries Ocean Science |
title | Extension of the general unit hydrograph theory for the spread of salinity in estuaries |
title_full | Extension of the general unit hydrograph theory for the spread of salinity in estuaries |
title_fullStr | Extension of the general unit hydrograph theory for the spread of salinity in estuaries |
title_full_unstemmed | Extension of the general unit hydrograph theory for the spread of salinity in estuaries |
title_short | Extension of the general unit hydrograph theory for the spread of salinity in estuaries |
title_sort | extension of the general unit hydrograph theory for the spread of salinity in estuaries |
url | https://os.copernicus.org/articles/19/603/2023/os-19-603-2023.pdf |
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