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Synoptic hydrography of a highly stratified estuary

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Abstract

This study investigates the hydrodynamic characteristics of the lower, middle, and upper sectors of a highly stratified estuary, the Itajaí-Açu river estuary (south of Brazil ∼27° S/48.5° W). The study is based on a 25-h field campaign with three sampling stations positioned at 2, 17, and 38 km inward from the river mouth, during low river discharge condition and spring tide. The experimental data gathered was reduced and analyzed in terms of distribution of variables in time and space tide average vertical profiles and decomposition of the advective transport of salt and suspended particulate matter (SPM). Tidal range was nearly constant along the estuary, presenting time lag of about 2 h between lower and upper estuary. The ebb discharge peaks were about twice the discharge flood peaks and occurred simultaneously. The tide was the main determining agent in the lower estuary, where currents, salt stratification, and SPM distributions presented a repetitive behavior. In the middle estuary, the tide effects were also observed, but the presence of saline waters decreased along the time due to increasing river discharge during the campaign. The distribution of SPM in the mid- and upper estuary presented patched pattern not associated with tides and may be attributed to short-term flood contributions of tributaries. Currents presented ebb dominance in all three sectors; in the middle and upper estuary, they presented also a time asymmetry, with ebb currents longer than flood. The advective transport of salt in the lower estuary was upstream, with dominance of gravitational circulation term. In the mid-estuary, there was practically no transport, with balance between fluvial discharge (downstream) and tidal correlation (upstream). The advective transport of SPM was upstream in the lower estuary and downstream in the mid- and upper estuary, being dominated by gravitational circulation in the former and fluvial discharge in the others.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the many people who have helped in the intensive field campaign: Valdenir Inês, Leandro Silva, Camila Speck, Wolfgang Voigt, Stefan Brandt, Rafael, Jurandir Pereira, Leonardo Rörig, Luciana Spillere, and Dermeval Almeida; Eduardo Siegle for reviewing the manuscript; the Ballast-Ham dredging company that lent the survey boat “Andrew” equipped with an ADCP; and Felipe Flores that lent his boat “Cutter”. The first author specially thanks P. Salles and all PECS-2004 organizing staff and the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) for the grant of his participation in the meeting. This work was funded by the International Bureau-DLR of Germany, and is part of Brazil–Germany Cooperation Program in Marine Science (MCT-Mar41). C.A.F. Schettini has a CNPq Research Grant 307556/2004-2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Marine and Earth Science and Technology, University of Vale do Itajaí CTTMar/UNIVALI, C. Postal 360, Itajaí, SC, 88302-202, Brazil

    Carlos Augusto França Schettini & Eliane Cristina Truccolo

  2. Research and Technology Centre Westcoast, University of Kiel, Hafentoern, 25761, Buesum, Germany

    Klaus Ricklefs & Volker Golbig

Authors
  1. Carlos Augusto França Schettini
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  2. Klaus Ricklefs
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  3. Eliane Cristina Truccolo
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  4. Volker Golbig
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Correspondence to Carlos Augusto França Schettini.

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Responsible Editor Paulo Salles

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Schettini, C.A.F., Ricklefs, K., Truccolo, E.C. et al. Synoptic hydrography of a highly stratified estuary. Ocean Dynamics 56, 308–319 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-006-0066-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-006-0066-1

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