Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Estuarine fronts: How important are they?

  • Published:
Estuaries Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Estuarine fronts have a role in estuarine circulation, productivity, sediment dynamics, and water quality. Despite their importance, our understanding is rather modest. While some insight can be drawn from studies of oceanic fronts, the shorter time scales of estuarine fronts often exclude the role of Coriolis forcing and geostrophy from the hydrodynamics and exclude the prospect of physiological adaptation from ecosystem dynamics. Conservative processes and rapid nonconservative processes like aggregation, settling, and behavioral responses are expected to be most important at estuarine fronts. Although generally short-lived, the recurrent periodic nature of estuarine fronts does include longer time scales and some attention should be given to the importance of this recurrence to longer time scale ecological responses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Amos, A. F., M. G. Langseth, andR. G. Markl. 1972. Visible oceanic saline fronts, p. 49–62.In A. L. Gordon (ed.), Studies in Physical Oceanography, Vol. I., Gordon and Breach, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arthur, J. F., andM. D. Ball. 1979. Factors influencing the entrapment of suspended material in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary, p. 143–174.In T. J. Conomos (ed.), San Francisco Bay: The Urbanized Estuary. American Association for the Advancement of Science, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ball, M. D., andJ. F. Arthur. 1979. Planktonic chlorophyll dynamics in the northern San Francisco Bay and delta, p. 265–285.In T. J. Conomos (ed.), San Francisco Bay: The Urbanized Estuary. American Association for the Advancement of Science, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bo Pederson, Fl 1993. Fronts in the Kattegat—The hydrodynamic regulating factor for the biology.Estuaries 16:104–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, M. J. 1988. Estuarine fronts, p. 85–132.In B. Kjerve (ed.), Hydrodynamics of Estuaries. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, M. J., andW. E. Esaias. 1978. Oceanic Fronts in Coastal Processes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 114 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, M. J., andR. L. Iverson. 1978. Estuarine and plume fronts, p. 87–104.In M. J. Bowman and W. E. Esaias (eds.), Oceanic Fronts in Coastal Processes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brandt, S. B. 1993. The effect of thermal fronts on fish growth: A bioenergetics evaluation of food and temperature.Estuaries 16:142–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, R. W. G. 1988. Coastal Environments: An Introduction to the Physical, Ecological and Cultural Systems of Coastlines. Academic Press, London. 617 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creutzberg, F. 1985. A persistent chlorophyll-a maximum coinciding with an enriched benthic zone, p. 97–108.In P. E. Gibbs (ed.), Proceedings of the Nineteenth European Marine Biology Symposium. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creutzberg, F., P. Wapenaar, G. Duineveld, andN. Lopez Lopez. 1984. Distribution and density of the benthic fauna in the southern North Sea in relation to bottom characteristics and hydrographic conditions.Rapports et Proces-Verbaux de Réunion, Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer 183:101–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Denman, K. L., andT. M. Powell. 1984. Effects of physical processes on planktonic ecosystems in the coastal ocean.Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Reviews 22:125–168.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duce, R. A., J. G. Quinn., C. E. Olney, S. R. Piotrowicz, B. J. Ray, andT. L. Wade. 1972. Enrichment of heavy metals and organic compounds in the surface microlayer of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.Science 176:161–163.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, K. R. 1986. Coastal and Estuarine Sediment Dynamics. Wiley, Chichester. 342 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farmer, D. M., andJ. Dugan Smith. 1980. Tidal interaction of stratified flow with a sill in Knight Inlet.Deep-Sea Research 27A:239–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franks, P. J. S. 1992a. Phytoplankton blooms at fronts: Patterns, scales and physical forcing mechanisms.Reviews in Aquatic Sciences 6:121–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franks, P. J. S. 1992b. Sink or swim: Accumulation of biomass at fronts.Marine Ecology Progress Series 82:1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franks, P. J. S., andD. M. Anderson. 1992. Alongshore transport of a toxic phytoplankton bloom in a buoyancy current:Alexandrium tamarense in the Gulf of Maine.Marine Biology 112:153–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcon, V. C., K. D. Stolzenbach, andD. M. Anderson. 1986. Tidal flushing of an estuarine embayment subject to recurrent dinoflagellate blooms.Estuaries 9:179–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garrett, C. J. R., andJ. W. Loder. 1981. Dynamical aspects of shallow-sea fronts.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London A 302:562–581.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garvine, R. W. 1974. Dynamics of small-scale oceanic fronts.Journal of Physical Oceanography 4:557–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garvine, R. W. 1977. River plumes and estuary fronts, p. 30–35.In Estuaries, Geophysics and the Environment. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gelfenbaum, G., andR. P. Stumpf. 1993. Observations of currents and density structure across a buoyant plume front.Estuaries 16:40–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geyer, W. R. 1993. The importance of suppression of turbulence by stratification on the estuarine turbidity maximum.Estuaries 16:113–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geyer, W. R., andD. M. Farmer. 1989. Tide-induced variation of the dynamics of a salt wedge estuary.Journal of Physical Oceanography 19:1060–1072.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, W. M. 1993. Spatio-temporal scale assessment of an “upwelling shadow” in northern Monterey Bay, California.Estuaries 16:83–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hearn, C. J., andR. J. Lukatelich. 1990. Dynamics of Peel-Harvey Estuary, Southwest Australia, p. 431–450.In R. T. Cheng (ed.), Residual Currents and Long-term Transport. Springer-Verlag, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hesse, K. J., D. Gerdes, andK. Schaumann. 1989. A winter study of plankton distribution across a coastal salinity front in the German Bight.Meeresforschung 32:177–191.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holligan, P. M., R. P. Harris, R. C. Newell, D. S. Harbour, R. N. Head, E. A. S. Linley, M. I. Lucas, P. R. G. Tranter, andC. M. Weekley. 1984. Vertical distribution and partitioning of organic carbon in mixed, frontal and stratified waters of the english Channel.Marine Ecology Progress Series 14:111–127.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huzzey, L. M. 1982. The dynamics of a bathymetrically arrested estuarine front.Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 15: 537–552.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jasińska, E. 1993. The motion of salt water (and associated fronts) in tideless estuaries.Estuaries 16:53–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahru, M., J. Elken, I. Kotta, M. Simm, andK. Vilbaste. 1984. Plankton distributions and processes across a front in the open Baltic Sea.Marine Ecology Progress Series 20:101–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirby, R., andW. R. Parker. 1982. A suspended sediment front in the Severn Estuary.Nature 295:396–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klemas, V., andD. F. Polis. 1977. Remote sensing of estuarine fronts and their effects on pollutants.Photogrametric Engineering and Remote Sensing 43:599–612.

    Google Scholar 

  • Largier, J. L. 1992. Tidal intrusion fronts.Estuaries 15:26–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Largier, J. L., andJ. H. Slinger. 1991. Circulation in highly stratified southern African estuaries.Southern African Journal of Aquatic Sciences 17:103–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Largier, J. L., J. H. Slinger, andS. Taljaard. 1992. The stratified hydrodynamics of the Palmiet—A prototypical barbuilt estuary, p. 135–153.In D. Prandle (ed.), Dynamics and Exchanges, in Estuaries and the Coastal Zone. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Largier, J. L., andS. Taljaard. 1992. The dynamics of tidal intrusion, retention, and removal of seawater in a bar-built estuary.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 33:325–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Le Fevre, J. 1986. Aspects of the biology of frontal systems.Advances in Marine Biology 23:163–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Fevre, J., J. C. Cochard, andJ. R. Grall. 1981. Physical characteristics of an inshore area on the Atlantic coast of Brittany and their influence on the pelagic ecosystem: The case of the Riviere d'Etel.Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 13:131–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linden, P. F., andJ. E. Simpson. 1988. Modulated mixing and frontogenesis in shallow seas and estuaries.Continental Shelf Research 8:1107–1127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mann, R. 1988. Distribution of bivalve larvae at a frontal system in the James River, Virginia.Marine Ecology Progress Series 50:29–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mann, K. H., andJ. R. N. Lazier. 1991. Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems: Biological-Physical Interactions in the Ocean. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Cambridge. 466 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, J. L., andA. W. White. 1988. Distribution and abundance of the toxic dinoflagellateGonyaulax excavata in the Bay of Fundy.Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 45: 1968–1975.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moll, R. A., A. Bratkovich, W. Y. B. Chang, andP. Pu. 1993. Physical, chemical and biological conditions associated with the Lake Michigan vernal thermal front.Estuaries 16: 92–103.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, G., andL. Hutchings. 1987. Passive transportation of pelagic system components in the southern Benguela area.South African Journal of Marine Science 5:223–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Donnell, J. 1993. Surface fronts in estuaries: A review.Estuaries 16:12–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Owen, R. W. 1968. Oceanographic conditions in the northeast Pacific and their relation to the albacore fishery.Fisheries Bulletin of the United States 66:503–526.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, T. R., R. I. Perry, E. D. Nutbrown, W. Hsieh, andC. M. Lalli. 1983. Frontal zone analysis at the mouth of Saanich inlet, British Columbia, Canada.Marine Biology 73: 1–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearcy, W. G. 1973. Albacore oceanography off Oregon.Fisheries Bulletin 71.

  • Perry, R. I., B. R. Dilke, andT. R. Parsons. 1983. Tidal mixing and summer plankton distributions in Hecate Strait, British Columbia.Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 40:871–887.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, W. T., C. B. Miller, andA. Hutchinson. 1979. Zonation and maintenance of copepod populations in the Oregon upwelling zone.Deep-Sea Research 26:467–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pineda, J.. 1991. Predictable upwelling and the shoreward transport of planktonic larvae by internal waves.Science 253: 548–551.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pingree, R. D., P. R. Pugh, P. M. Holligan, andG. R. Forster. 1975. Summer phytoplankton blooms and red tides along tidal fronts in the approaches to the English Channel.Nature 258:672–677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piotrowicz, S. R., B. J. Hay, G. L. Hoffman, andR. A. Duce. 1972. Trace metal enrichment in the sea-surface microlayer.Journal of Geophysical Research 77:5243–5254.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Postma, H. 1967. Sediment transport and sedimentation in the estuarine environment, p. 158–179.In G. H. Lauff (ed.), Estuaries. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Publication Number 83. Washington, D.C.

  • Richardson, K. 1985. Plankton distribution and activity in the North Sea/Skagerrak-Kattegat frontal area in April 1984.Marine Ecology Progress Series 26:233–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riegman, R., H. Malschaert, andF. Colijn. 1990. Primary production of phytoplankton at a frontal zone located at the northern slope of the Dogger Bank (North Sea).Marine Biology 105:329–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roughgarden, J., S. Gaines, andH. Possingham. 1988. Recruitment dynamics in complex life cycles.Science 241:1460–1466.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sarabun, C. C. 1993. Observations of a Chesapeake Bay tidal front.Estuaries 16:68–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schubel, J. R. 1969. Distribution and transport of suspended sediment in Upper Chesapeake Bay. Technical Report 60, Reference 69-13. Chesapeake Bay Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seliger, H. H., K. R. McKinley, W. H. Biggley, R. B. Rivkin, andK. R. H. Aspden. 1981. Phytoplankton patchiness and frontal regions.Marine Biology 61:119–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharples, J., andJ. H. Simpson. 1993. Periodic frontogenesis in a region of freshwater influence.Estuaries 16:74–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sick, L. V., C. C. Johnson, andR. Engle. 1978. Trace metal enhancement in the biotic and abiotic components of an estuarine tidal front.Journal of Geophysical Research 83:4659–4667.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, J. E. 1987. Gravity Currents: In the Environment and the Laboratory. Ellis Horwood, Chichester. 244 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, J. H., andI. D. James. 1986. Coastal and estuarine fronts, p. 63–93.In C. N. K. Mooers (ed.), Baroclinic Processes on Continental Shelves. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slinger, J. H., S. Taljaard, and J. L. Largier. 1993. Changes in estuarine water quality in response to a freshwater flow event. Proceedings of the ECSA/ERF Conference, Plymouth, September 1992. (In press).

  • Smith, J. A. 1993. Performance of a horizontally scanning Doppler sonar nearshore.Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology. (in press)

  • Szekielda, K. H., S. L. Kupferman, V. Klemas, andD. F. Polis. 1972. Element enrichment in organic films and foam associated with aquatic frontal systems.Journal of Geophysical Research 77:5278–5282.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tsujita, T. 1957. The fisheries oceanography of the east China Sea and Tsuchima Strait. I. The structure and ecological character of the fishing grounds.Bulletin of the Seikai Regional Fisheries Laboratory 13:1–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turekian, K. K. 1977. The fate of metals in estuaries, p. 121–127.In Estuaries, Geophysics and the Environment. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, M. A., andH. H. Seliger. 1978. Annual subsurface transport of a red tide dinoflagellate to its bloom area: Water circulation patterns and organism distributions in the Chesapeake Bay.Limnology and Oceanography 23:227–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uncles, R. J., andJ. A. Stephens. 1993. The freshwater-saltwater interface and its relationship to the turbidity maximum in the Tamar Estuary, UK.Estuaries 16:126–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uncles, R. J., J. A. Stephens, andM. L. Barton. 1992. Observations of fine-sediment concentrations and transport in the turbidity maximum region of an estuary, p. 255–276.In D. Prandle (ed.), Dynamics and Exchanges in Estuaries and the Coastal Zone. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Videau, C. 1987. Primary production and physiological state of phytoplankton at the Ushant tidal front (west coast of Brittany, France).Marine Ecology Progress Series 35:141–151.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wolanski, E. 1988. Circulation anomalies in tropical Australian estuaries, p. 53–60.In B. Kjerve (ed.), Hydrodynamics of Estuaries, Vol. II. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolanski, E., andW. M. Hamner. 1988. Topographically controlled fronts in the ocean and their biological influence.Science 241:177–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, L. D., andJ. M. Coleman. 1974. Mississippi River Mouth processes: Effluent dynamics and morphologic development.Journal of Geology 82:751–778.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yanagi, T., O. Matsuda, S. Tanabe, andS. Uye. 1992. Interdisciplinary study on the tidal front in the Bungo Channel, Japan, p. 617–630.In D. Prandle (ed.), Dynamics and Exchanges in Estuaries and the Coastal Zone. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 92093-0209, San Diego, California

    John L. Largier

Authors
  1. John L. Largier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Largier, J.L. Estuarine fronts: How important are they?. Estuaries 16, 1–11 (1993). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352760

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1352760

Keywords

Search

Navigation