Publication Date:
2022-05-25
Description:
This paper is not subject to U.S. copyright. The definitive version was published in Computers & Geosciences 36 (2010): 921-935, doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2009.11.008.
Description:
We investigate the processes that influence residence time in a partially mixed estuary using a three-dimensional circulation model. The complex geometry of the study region is not optimal for a structured grid model and so we developed a new method of grid connectivity. This involves a novel approach that allows an unlimited number of individual grids to be combined in an efficient manner to produce a composite grid. We then implemented this new method into the numerical Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) and developed a composite grid of the Hudson River estuary region to investigate the residence time of a passive tracer. Results show that the residence time is a strong function of the time of release (spring vs. neap tide), the along-channel location, and the initial vertical placement. During neap tides there is a maximum in residence time near the bottom of the estuary at the mid-salt intrusion length. During spring tides the residence time is primarily a function of along-channel location and does not exhibit a strong vertical variability. This model study of residence time illustrates the utility of the grid connectivity method for circulation and dispersion studies in regions of complex geometry.
Description:
W.R. Geyer was supported by the Hudson River Foundation
Grant 002/07A,H.G.Arango by the Office of Naval Research,and
John Warner was supported by the USGS Community Sediment
Modeling Project.
Keywords:
Residence time
;
Estuary
;
Three-dimensional model
;
Hudson river estuary
;
ROMS
;
Composite grid
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Article
Format:
application/pdf
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