Idealized River Plume Simulations
Robert Hetland
Department of Oceanography
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
A series of numerical model runs is performed in an idealized domain to
examine the formation of a river plume. Effects of estuary resolution are
considered, as well as the effect of tides in the estuary. The
along-channel length scale of the estuary can be shortened by increasing
dissipation in the estuary, reducing the need to model the entire length of
the estuary, while retaining identical exchange conditions. Tides may be
included by modulating the riverine discharge in cases where tides on the
shelf do not affect the plume. Using this method, tidal forcing along the
open boundaries is unnecessary, avoiding complex and restrictive open
boundary conditions as well as reflection of tides in the estuary.
Resolution requirements of the estuary mouth an nearby coastal ocean are
demonstrated using successively higher grid resolutions.