TY - JOUR
T1 - Field studies of velocity, salinity and suspended solids concentration in a shallow tidal channel near tidal flap gates
AU - Mitchell, Steve
AU - Burgess, H.
AU - Pope, D.
AU - Theodoridou, A.
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - The design and operation of mathematical models of solute mixing and sediment transport in estuaries rely heavily on the provision of good-quality field data. We present some observations of salinity, suspended sediment concentration and velocity at one of the tidal limits of a semi-enclosed tidal lagoon in Southern England (Pagham Harbour, West Sussex, UK) where the natural processes of tidal incursion and solute mixing have been heavily modified as a result of the construction of sea walls dating back to the 18th Century. These observations, made immediately downstream of two parallel tidal flap gates by conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) profiler, and also using bed-mounted sensor frames to measure velocity at 2 fixed depths, have yielded a set of results covering 11 tidal cycles over the period 2002–04. It is clear from the results obtained that over a typical tidal cycle, the greatest vertical salinity gradients occur in the 1–2 h immediately after the onset of the flood tide, and that subsequently, energetic mixing acts to rapidly break down this stratification. Under moderate-to-high fresh water flows (>0.5 m3/s), the break-down in vertical salinity gradient is more gradual, while under low fresh water flows (
AB - The design and operation of mathematical models of solute mixing and sediment transport in estuaries rely heavily on the provision of good-quality field data. We present some observations of salinity, suspended sediment concentration and velocity at one of the tidal limits of a semi-enclosed tidal lagoon in Southern England (Pagham Harbour, West Sussex, UK) where the natural processes of tidal incursion and solute mixing have been heavily modified as a result of the construction of sea walls dating back to the 18th Century. These observations, made immediately downstream of two parallel tidal flap gates by conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) profiler, and also using bed-mounted sensor frames to measure velocity at 2 fixed depths, have yielded a set of results covering 11 tidal cycles over the period 2002–04. It is clear from the results obtained that over a typical tidal cycle, the greatest vertical salinity gradients occur in the 1–2 h immediately after the onset of the flood tide, and that subsequently, energetic mixing acts to rapidly break down this stratification. Under moderate-to-high fresh water flows (>0.5 m3/s), the break-down in vertical salinity gradient is more gradual, while under low fresh water flows (
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecss.2008.01.001
DO - 10.1016/j.ecss.2008.01.001
M3 - Article
SN - 0272-7714
VL - 78
SP - 385
EP - 395
JO - Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
JF - Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
IS - 2
ER -