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Thermal Variability in a Tidal River

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Abstract

In this paper, we discuss observations of temperature variability in the tidal portion of the San Joaquin River in California. The San Joaquin River makes up the southern portion of the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta, the eastern end of San Francisco Bay. Observations made in August 2004 and August 2005 show significant diurnal variations in temperature in response to surface heat exchange. However, to account for observed changes in heat content a sizeable downstream heat flux (approximately 100 W m−2) must be added to the surface heat flux. To account for this flux via Fickian dispersion, a flow-dependent dispersion coefficient varying from 500 to 4,000 m2 s−1 is needed. These values are much larger than would be predicted for a river of this size, suggesting that the complex topology of the Delta greatly enhances longitudinal dispersion. Building on these observations, we present a simple theory that explores how the subtidal temperature field varies in response to changes in flow rate, dispersion, and heat exchange.

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Notes

  1. http://cdec.water.ca.gov/

  2. http://wwwcimis.water.ca.gov/cimis/

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the large group of students from Stanford and UC Davis as well as Jay Cuetara, John Yokimizo and their colleagues from the USGS California District, all of whom participated in the field work. This work was supported by CALFED Ecosystem Restoration Program contract ERP-02D-P51. SGM also is grateful for support from the Singapore Stanford Partnership.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial relationship with the organization that sponsored the research. They also have no financial relationship with the publisher of Estuaries and Coasts. Finally, the authors have full control of all primary, data and they agree to allow the journal to review their data if requested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305-4020, USA

    Stephen G. Monismith, James L. Hench, Derek A. Fong & Nicholas J. Nidzieko

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    William E. Fleenor, Laura P. Doyle & S. Geoffrey Schladow

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  1. Stephen G. Monismith
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  2. James L. Hench
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  3. Derek A. Fong
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  4. Nicholas J. Nidzieko
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  5. William E. Fleenor
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  6. Laura P. Doyle
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  7. S. Geoffrey Schladow
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Correspondence to Stephen G. Monismith.

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Monismith, S.G., Hench, J.L., Fong, D.A. et al. Thermal Variability in a Tidal River. Estuaries and Coasts 32, 100–110 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-008-9109-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-008-9109-9

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