Abstract:

Estuaries serve as a crucial interface between rivers and the ocean. The mixing and transport processes in estuaries directly determine the land-sea exchange of salinity and biogeochemical constituents. Many estuaries have meandering channels due to the presence of complex topography. This study integrates numerical simulations with observations to investigate the impact of meanders on estuarine salinity mixing and stratification. Secondary circulation induced by flow curvature interacts with the stratified estuarine flow and leads to frontogenesis within meanders. Enhanced vertical mixing occurs at these fronts, resulting in decreased salinity stratification in meandering estuaries compared to straight-channel estuaries. This study emphasizes the significance of topography-induced flow processes in shaping estuarine salinity dynamics, with implications for the transport of sediment, chemicals, and biota.

Biography:

Tong Bo is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of California Los Angeles, working with Professors James C. McWilliams and Marcelo Chamecki. He received his B.S. (2018) in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Peking University. He completed his Ph.D. (2023) in Civil and Environmental and Oceanographic Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program.

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