Frontogenesis at Estuarine Junctions
Observations of Newark Bay, a sub-estuary network characterized by multiple junctions, reveal that fronts are generated by tidal flow through transitions in channel geometry. All fronts substantially contribute to along-channel estuarine heterogeneity, and most are associated with both changes in ch...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2020
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/128509 |
| _version_ | 1826213902933819392 |
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| author | Corlett, William Bryce. Geyer, W. Rockwell |
| author2 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |
| author_facet | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Corlett, William Bryce. Geyer, W. Rockwell |
| author_sort | Corlett, William Bryce. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Observations of Newark Bay, a sub-estuary network characterized by multiple junctions, reveal that fronts are generated by tidal flow through transitions in channel geometry. All fronts substantially contribute to along-channel estuarine heterogeneity, and most are associated with both changes in channel geometry and tidal velocity phase-shifts. A lift-off front forms at the mouth of the sub-estuary during ebb tide in response to the abrupt seaward channel expansion. While forming, the front is enhanced by a tidal velocity phase-shift; flood tide persists in the main estuary until 90 min after the start of ebb tide in the sub-estuary. A second lift-off front forms during ebb tide at a channel–side-channel junction and is enhanced by a lateral baroclinic circulation induced by baroclinic and barotropic tidal velocity phase-shifts between the main channel and side channel. The lateral circulation also bifurcates the along-channel ebb flow at the surface, generating a surface front above the lift-off front. At the head of Newark Bay, a second surface front forms during ebb tide at the confluence of two tributary estuaries. This confluence front is rotated across the mouth of the primary fresh water source by high velocities from the adjacent tributary estuary and is maintained through much of ebb tide by lateral straining and mixing. Although the overall stratification of Newark Bay would categorize it as a partially mixed estuary, the fronts divide the density structure of the sub-estuary into a series of nearly homogeneous segments—a characteristic that is more often associated with fjords. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:56:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/128509 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:56:21Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1285092022-10-02T05:13:44Z Frontogenesis at Estuarine Junctions Corlett, William Bryce. Geyer, W. Rockwell Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Observations of Newark Bay, a sub-estuary network characterized by multiple junctions, reveal that fronts are generated by tidal flow through transitions in channel geometry. All fronts substantially contribute to along-channel estuarine heterogeneity, and most are associated with both changes in channel geometry and tidal velocity phase-shifts. A lift-off front forms at the mouth of the sub-estuary during ebb tide in response to the abrupt seaward channel expansion. While forming, the front is enhanced by a tidal velocity phase-shift; flood tide persists in the main estuary until 90 min after the start of ebb tide in the sub-estuary. A second lift-off front forms during ebb tide at a channel–side-channel junction and is enhanced by a lateral baroclinic circulation induced by baroclinic and barotropic tidal velocity phase-shifts between the main channel and side channel. The lateral circulation also bifurcates the along-channel ebb flow at the surface, generating a surface front above the lift-off front. At the head of Newark Bay, a second surface front forms during ebb tide at the confluence of two tributary estuaries. This confluence front is rotated across the mouth of the primary fresh water source by high velocities from the adjacent tributary estuary and is maintained through much of ebb tide by lateral straining and mixing. Although the overall stratification of Newark Bay would categorize it as a partially mixed estuary, the fronts divide the density structure of the sub-estuary into a series of nearly homogeneous segments—a characteristic that is more often associated with fjords. 2020-11-17T21:28:09Z 2020-11-17T21:28:09Z 2020-01 2019-10 2020-09-24T21:45:31Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1559-2723 1559-2731 https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/128509 Corlett, W. Bryce and W. Rockwell Geyer. "Frontogenesis at Estuarine Junctions." Estuaries and Coasts 43, 4 (January 2020): 722–738. © 2020 Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation en https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00697-1 Estuaries and Coasts Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation application/pdf Springer Science and Business Media LLC Springer US |
| spellingShingle | Corlett, William Bryce. Geyer, W. Rockwell Frontogenesis at Estuarine Junctions |
| title | Frontogenesis at Estuarine Junctions |
| title_full | Frontogenesis at Estuarine Junctions |
| title_fullStr | Frontogenesis at Estuarine Junctions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Frontogenesis at Estuarine Junctions |
| title_short | Frontogenesis at Estuarine Junctions |
| title_sort | frontogenesis at estuarine junctions |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/128509 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT corlettwilliambryce frontogenesisatestuarinejunctions AT geyerwrockwell frontogenesisatestuarinejunctions |