Delta river plumes

Idealized process-oriented river plume studies with the HYCOM
Delta river plumes

The effect of changing the coastal morphology over the development of river plumes is also investigated with the BOX domain. Experiments that are similar to the 20m deep flat bottom case in the previous link (Dynamics of river plumes) but in the presence of a delta instead of an estuary are performed. The delta has the same dimensions of the estuary, and river discharge is imposed at the head of the delta.

DESCRIPTION:
Surface salinity snapshots of the plume development in the presence of an estuary (left) and a delta (right), after 30 days. The delta has the effect of enlarging the anticyclonic bulge that develops off the freshwater source. The absence of the coastal wall right at the river mouth allows the development of an upstream anticyclonic cell. The coastal current takes longer to attach to the coast, creating a weak recirculation region in the lee of the delta.

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