| Volumes and Issues Contents of Issue 4 |
www.ocean-sci.net/4/239/2008/
doi:10.5194/os-4-239-2008
© Author(s) 2008. This work is distributed
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Improving the parameterisation of horizontal density gradient in one-dimensional water column models for estuarine circulation
1Université catholique de Louvain, Unité de Génie Civil et Environnemental, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
2Université catholique de Louvain, Centre for Systems Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Abstract. A new parameterisation of horizontal density gradient for a one-dimensional water column estuarine model, inspired by the first-order finite-difference upwind scheme, is presented. This parameterisation prevents stratification from growing indefinitely, a deficiency usually referred to as "runaway stratification". It is seen that, using this upwind-like parameterisation, the salinity must remain comprised between upper and lower bounds set a priori and that any initial over- or under-shooting is progressively eliminated. Simulations of idealised and realistic estuarine regimes indicate that the new parameterisation lead to results that are devoid of the runaway stratification phenomenon, as opposed to previously used models.
Final Revised Paper (PDF, 499 KB) Discussion Paper (OSD)
Citation: Blaise, S. and Deleersnijder, E.: Improving the parameterisation of horizontal density gradient in one-dimensional water column models for estuarine circulation, Ocean Sci., 4, 239-246, doi:10.5194/os-4-239-2008, 2008. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
