Residual Baroclinic Circulations in Semienclosed Coastal Seas
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 123, Issue 4
Abstract
Residual baroclinic current systems are of fundamental importance in estimating long-term mass transport. In most estuaries, vertical and longitudinal density variations govern the flow patterns and transport processes. In the case of a strait-basin system, especially one that has a large rounded basin greater than the Rossby deformation radius, the lateral density variations should be included as well. This means that the earth's rotation and the stratification of the water become predominant factors. In the present study, residual current data observed in Osaka Bay are examined and are compared to the results of numerical simulation of the three-dimensional (3D) baroclinic flow. Tideand density-induced residual circulations and a tidal front were confirmed and their generating mechanisms were clarified. Furthermore, 3D Lagrangian trajectory computation demonstrated that the vertical estuarine circulation causes an anticyclonic circulation appearing in the head of a rounded bay, which is generated by the horizontal divergence of the upper layer water under the effects of the earth's rotation. It is a peculiarity when compared to many other estuarine and coastal waters dominated by estuarine circulation.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 123 • Issue 4 • April 1997
Pages: 362 - 373
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Apr 1, 1997
Published in print: Apr 1997
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