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Turbulence and Mixing in Stratified Tidal Flows

  • Conference paper
Physical Processes in Estuaries

Abstract

This review deals with turbulence and mixing in stratified flows from the perspective of salinity intrusion into estuaries, thus making a distinction between internal mixing at tidal slack and external mixing when tidal currents are large.

In homogeneous flows, and when density stratification is weak, the length scale of turbulence is controlled by external boundaries (e.g. bed and free surface). When density stratification is strong it may act as an internal boundary or limit the length scale of turbulence at a local level. The effect of stratification on turbulence and mixing is discussed both at the local level and in conjunction with the effect of external and internal boundaries.

Some aspects of turbulence modelling are included, primarily to explain the limitations of the damping function, used to express the effect of stratification in turbulence models which require the length scale of turbulence as an input.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Delft Hydraulics, P.O. Box 177, 2600 MH, Delft, The Netherlands

    G. Abraham

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  1. G. Abraham
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tidal Waters Division, Rijkswaterstaat, P.O. Box 20907, 2500 EX, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Job Dronkers

  2. Estuaries and Seas Division, Delft Hydraulics, P.O. Box 177, 2600 MH, Delft, The Netherlands

    Wim van Leussen

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© 1988 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Abraham, G. (1988). Turbulence and Mixing in Stratified Tidal Flows. In: Dronkers, J., van Leussen, W. (eds) Physical Processes in Estuaries. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73691-9_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73691-9_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-73693-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-73691-9

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