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Exchange fluxes between the Ría de Vigo and the shelf: a bidirectional flow forced by remote wind

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posted on 2023-05-18, 12:59 authored by Gilcoto, M, Pardo, PC, Alvarez-Salgado, XA, Perez, FF
[1] In the Ría de Vigo (western coast of the Iberian Peninsula) the seasonal pattern associated with shelf winds at these latitudes produces upwelling/downwelling episodes that affect the residual circulation. The aim of this paper is to go deeply into the interaction between remote winds and the dynamics of the ria aided by an inverse model. In the Galician r ias the box models (inverse models) have been developed from a two-dimensional (2-D) point of view since the classical baroclinic residual circulation in positive estuaries has a vertical distribution (freshwater outflow through the surface layer and inflow through the bottom layer). However, recent work in the Ría de Vigo has shown the existence of a 3-D residual circulation in the seaward region of the ria. During upwelling (downwelling) conditions a coastal jet enters (leaves) the ria through the northern mouth and leaves (enters) through the southern mouth. The inverse model developed in this paper is a 3-D kinematic box model based on tracer and volume balances with the constraint of nonnegative vertical exchange coefficients. The fluxes obtained confirm, during some periods, the 3-D residual circulation overlying the classical 2-D scheme. It is shown how the 3-D pattern affects the inner ria, causing transversal differences in the flow field. In addition, the model results have been helpful in the discussion of a possible barotropic bidirectional flow associated with remote winds. The results have set the basis for the existence of a bidirectional flow originated by a barotropic interaction with the shelf upwelling.

History

Publication title

Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans

Volume

1123

Issue

C6

Article number

C06001

Number

C06001

Pagination

1-21

ISSN

2169-9275

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing

Place of publication

United States of America

Rights statement

Copyright 2007 American Geophysical Union

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Measurement and assessment of estuarine water quality

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