Influence of Inlets Morphology and Forcing Mechanisms on Water Exchange between Coastal Basins and the Sea: A Hindcast Study for a Mediterranean Lagoon

A numerical model, validated with field measurements, was applied to comparatively reconstruct the hydrodynamics of a eutrophic coastal lagoon in a set of scenarios over the last two centuries. The effect of major morphological changes on the water exchange with the open sea and water residence time...

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Main Authors: Irene Simonetti, Lorenzo Cappietti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-12-01
Series:Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/12/1929
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author Irene Simonetti
Lorenzo Cappietti
author_facet Irene Simonetti
Lorenzo Cappietti
author_sort Irene Simonetti
collection DOAJ
description A numerical model, validated with field measurements, was applied to comparatively reconstruct the hydrodynamics of a eutrophic coastal lagoon in a set of scenarios over the last two centuries. The effect of major morphological changes on the water exchange with the open sea and water residence time is evaluated. The results show that the number and morphology of the lagoon inlets are crucial in determining the volume of water exchanged with the sea, the water transport timescales, and the extent of poorly circulated stagnant areas with poor flushing potential, which are areas where anoxic crises might develop. When all the relevant forcing mechanisms on the hydrodynamics are considered, great variability of the water residence time is found in the different historical scenarios, with values varying between 83 and 305 days. The effect of anthropic actions on the system hydrodynamics was quantitatively evaluated, consolidating the background knowledge to support the present and future management of this environmental system.
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spelling doaj.art-66d6bb4bfa9043a8b0bccb9b2d12158b2023-11-24T15:56:45ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122022-12-011012192910.3390/jmse10121929Influence of Inlets Morphology and Forcing Mechanisms on Water Exchange between Coastal Basins and the Sea: A Hindcast Study for a Mediterranean LagoonIrene Simonetti0Lorenzo Cappietti1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, ItalyA numerical model, validated with field measurements, was applied to comparatively reconstruct the hydrodynamics of a eutrophic coastal lagoon in a set of scenarios over the last two centuries. The effect of major morphological changes on the water exchange with the open sea and water residence time is evaluated. The results show that the number and morphology of the lagoon inlets are crucial in determining the volume of water exchanged with the sea, the water transport timescales, and the extent of poorly circulated stagnant areas with poor flushing potential, which are areas where anoxic crises might develop. When all the relevant forcing mechanisms on the hydrodynamics are considered, great variability of the water residence time is found in the different historical scenarios, with values varying between 83 and 305 days. The effect of anthropic actions on the system hydrodynamics was quantitatively evaluated, consolidating the background knowledge to support the present and future management of this environmental system.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/12/1929lagoon hydrodynamicsnumerical modelinghydrodynamic hindcastmorphological changestidal inlet morphology impactwater exchange
spellingShingle Irene Simonetti
Lorenzo Cappietti
Influence of Inlets Morphology and Forcing Mechanisms on Water Exchange between Coastal Basins and the Sea: A Hindcast Study for a Mediterranean Lagoon
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
lagoon hydrodynamics
numerical modeling
hydrodynamic hindcast
morphological changes
tidal inlet morphology impact
water exchange
title Influence of Inlets Morphology and Forcing Mechanisms on Water Exchange between Coastal Basins and the Sea: A Hindcast Study for a Mediterranean Lagoon
title_full Influence of Inlets Morphology and Forcing Mechanisms on Water Exchange between Coastal Basins and the Sea: A Hindcast Study for a Mediterranean Lagoon
title_fullStr Influence of Inlets Morphology and Forcing Mechanisms on Water Exchange between Coastal Basins and the Sea: A Hindcast Study for a Mediterranean Lagoon
title_full_unstemmed Influence of Inlets Morphology and Forcing Mechanisms on Water Exchange between Coastal Basins and the Sea: A Hindcast Study for a Mediterranean Lagoon
title_short Influence of Inlets Morphology and Forcing Mechanisms on Water Exchange between Coastal Basins and the Sea: A Hindcast Study for a Mediterranean Lagoon
title_sort influence of inlets morphology and forcing mechanisms on water exchange between coastal basins and the sea a hindcast study for a mediterranean lagoon
topic lagoon hydrodynamics
numerical modeling
hydrodynamic hindcast
morphological changes
tidal inlet morphology impact
water exchange
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/12/1929
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