Shear instability in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada: A comparison of fine-scale observations and estuarine circulation model results

Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans

Volumn 106, Issue C5, 2001, Pages 9393-9409

  Bourgault, Daniel ^a,b   Saucier, Francois J ^c   Lin, Charles A ^a,b  

^a MCGILL UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

^b Centre de Recherche en Calcul Applique   (Canada)

^c FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DENSITY CURRENT; ESTUARINE DYNAMICS; KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY; MIXING; NUMERICAL MODEL; STRATIFICATION;

CANADA; SAINT LAWRENCE ESTUARY;

EID: 0034946887     PISSN: None     EISSN: 21699291     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1029/2000jc900165     Document Type: Review

References (60)

1. Backhaus, J. O., A three-dimensional model for the simulation of shelf-sea dynamics, Dtsch. Hydrogr. Z., 38, 165-187, 1985.
2. Banks, R. E., The cold intermediate layer of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, J. Geophys. Res., 71, 1603-1610, 1966.
3. Browning, K. A., and C. D. Watkins, Observations of clear air turbulence by high power radar, Nature, 227, 260-263, 1970.
4. Chassé, J., Modélisation numérique tridimensionnelle de la circulation dans l'estuaire du St-Laurent, Ph.D. thesis, Univ. du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, 1994.
5. DeGuise, J. C., High frequency internal waves in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Master's thesis, McGill Univ., Montréal, Québec, 1977.
6. Dyer, K. R., Estuaries: A physical introduction, 2nd ed. John Wiley, New York, 1997.
7. Farmer, D. M., and R. A. Denton, Hydraulic control of flow over the sill in Observatory Inlet, J. Geophys. Res., 90, 9051-9068, 1985.
8. Farmer, D. M., and H. Freeland, The physical oceanography of fjords, Prog. Oceanogr., 12(2), 1983.
9. Farmer, D. M., and J. D. Smith, Tidal interaction of stratified flow with a sill in Knight Inlet, Deep Sea Res., Part A, 274, 239-254, 1980.
10. Forrester, W. D., Internal tides in St. Lawrence Estuary, J. Mar. Res., 32, 55-66, 1974.
11. Galbraith, P. S., Relating overturns to mixing and buoyancy flux, Ph.D. thesis, Dalhousie Univ., Halifax, N.S., 1992.
12. Geyer, W. R., and D. M. Farmer, Tide-induced variation of the dynamics of a salt wedge estuary, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 19, 1060-1072, 1989.
13. Geyer, W. R., and J. D. Smith, Shear instability in a highly stratified estuary, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 17, 1668-1679, 1987.
14. Gilbert, D., and B. Pettigrew, Interannual variability (1948-1994) of the CIL core temperature in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Can. J. Fish. Aqual. Sci., 54, suppl. 1, 57-67, 1997.
15. Gill, A. E., Atmosphere-Ocean Dynamics. Academic, San Diego, Calif., 1982.
16. Government of Canada, Atlas of Tidal Currents From Cap de Bon-Désir to Trois-Rivières, Dep. of Fish, and Oceans, Can. Hydrogr. Serv., Ottawa, Ont., 1997a.
17. Government of Canada, Canadian Tide and Currents Tables, vol. 3, St. Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers, Dep. of Fish, and Oceans, Can. Hydrogr. Serv., Ottawa, Ont., 1997b.
18. Gregg, M. C., Diapycnal mixing in the thermocline: a review, J. Geophys. Res., 92, 5249-5286, 1987.
19. Gregg, M. C., Scaling turbulent dissipation in the thermocline, J. Geophys. Res., 94, 9686-9698, 1989.
20. Haury, L. R., M. G. Briscoe, and M. H. Orr, Tidally generated internal wave packets in Massachusetts Bay, Nature, 278, 312-317, 1979.
21. Ingram, R. G., Characteristics of a tide-induced estuarine front, J. Geophys. Res., 81, 1951-1959, 1976.
22. Ingram, R. G., Internal wave observation off Isle Verte, J. Mar. Res., 36, 715-724, 1978.
23. Ingram, R. G., Frontal characteristics at the head of the Laurentian Channel, Nat. Can., 112, 31-38, 1985.
24. Jay, D. A., and J. D. Smith, Residual circulation in shallow estuaries, 1, Highly stratified, narrow estuaries, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 711-731, 1990.
25. Kantha, L. H., and C. A. Clayson, An improved mixed layer model for geophysical applications, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 25,235-25,266, 1994.
26. Koutitonsky, V. G., and G. L. Bugden, The physical oceanography of the Gulf of St. Lawrence: A review with emphasis on the synoptic variability of the motion, Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 113, 57-90, 1991.
27. Lamb, K. G., Numerical experiments of internal wave generation by strong tidal flow across a finite amplitude bank edge, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 843-864, 1994.
28. Large, W. G., and P. Gent, Validation of vertical mixing in an equatorial ocean model using large eddy simulations and observations, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 29, 449-464, 1999.
29. Lauzier, L. M., and R. W. Trites, The deep waters of the Laurentian Channel, J. Fish. Res. Board Can., 15, 1247-1257, 1958.
30. Lu, Y., R. G. Lueck, and D. Huang, Turbulence characteristics in a tidal channel, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 30, 855-867, 2000.
31. Medwin, H., and C. S. Clay, Fundamentals of Acoustical Oceanography. Academic, San Diego, Calif., 1998.
32. Mellor, G. L., and T. Yamada, A hierarchy of turbulence closure models for planetary boundary layers, J. Atmos. Sci., 31, 1791-1806, 1974.
33. Mellor, G. L., and T. Yamada, Development of a turbulence closure model for geophysical fluid problems, Rev. Geophys., 20(4), 851-875, 1982.
34. Mertz, G., and Y. Gratton, Topographic waves and topographically induced motion in the St. Lawrence Estuary, in Oceanography of a Large-Scale Estuarine System: The St. Lawrence, edited by M. I. El-Sabh and N. Silverberg, pp. 94-108. Springer-Verlag, New York, 1990.
35. Miles, J., On the stability of heterogeneous shear flows, J. Fluid Mech., 70, 496-508, 1961.
36. Muir, L. R., Internal tides in a partially mixed estuary, Tech. Rep. 9, Ocean Sci. and Surv., Cent. Reg., Canada Centre for Inlands Waters, Burlington, Ont., 1982.
37. Munk, W. H., and E. R. Anderson, Notes on a theory of the thermocline, J. Mar. Res., 8, 276-295, 1948.
38. Neu, H. J. A., A study on mixing and circulation in the St. Lawrence Estuary up to 1964, Tech. Rep. 1970-9, Atl. Oceanogr. Lab. Bed. Inst. Rep. Ser., Darmouth, N.S., 1970.
39. Osborn, T. R., Estimates of the local rate of vertical diffusion from dissipation measurements, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 10, 83-89, 1980.
40. Pacanowski, R. C., and S. G. H. Philander, Parametrization of vertical mixing in numerical models of the tropical oceans, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 11, 1443-1451, 1981.
41. Peters, H., Observations of stratified turbulent mixing in an estuary: Neap-to-spring variations during high river flow, Estuarine Coastal Shelf Sci., 45, 69-88, 1997.
42. Peters, H., Spatial and temporal variability of turbulent mixing in an estuary, J. Mar. Res., 57, 805-845, 1999.
43. Peters, H., and R. Bokhorst, Microstructure observations of turbulent mixing in a partially mixed estuary, I; Dissipation rates, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 30, 1232-1244, 2000.
44. Porter, D. L., and D. R. Thompson, Continental shelf parameters inferred from SAR internal wave observations, J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 16, 475-487, 1999.
45. Saucier, F. J., and J. Chassé, Tidal circulation and buoyancy effects in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Atmosphere Ocean, 38(4), 1-52, 2000.
46. Saucier, F. J., J. Chassé, M. Couture, R. Dorais, A. D'Astous, D. Lefaivre, and A. Gosselin, The making of a surface current atlas of the St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada, in Fourth International Conference on Computer Modelling of Seas and Coastal Regions, edited by C. A. Brebbia and P. Anagnostopoulos, pp. 87-97, Lemnos, Greece. Wessex Inst. of Technol., 1999.
47. Seim, H. E., and M. C. Gregg, Detailed observations of a naturally occurring shear instability, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 10,049-10,073, 1994.
48. Simard, Y., Exploitation de l'acoustique sous-marine pour l'étude de la répartition spatiale et des rythmes de broutage du plancton dans un environment turbulent, Ph.D. thesis, Univ. Laval, Québec, Québec, 1985.
49. Smagorinsky, J., General circulation experiments with primitive equations, I, The basic experiment. Mon. Weather Rev., 97(3), 99-164, 1963.
50. Stacey, M. W., and L. J. Zedel, The time-dependant hydraulic flow and dissipation over the sill of Observatory Inlet, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 16, 1062-1076, 1986.
51. Stronach, J. A., J. O. Backhaus, and T. S. Murty, An update on the numerical simulation of oceanographic processes in the waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland: The GF8 model, Oceanogr. Mar. Biol., 31, 1-86, 1993.
52. Sullivan, G. D., and E. J. List, An experimental investigation of vertical mixing in a two-layer density-stratified shear flows, Dyn. Atmos. Oceans, 19, 147-174, 1993.
53. Sykes, R. I., and W. S. Lewellen, A numerical study of breaking Kelvin-Helmholtz billows using a Reynolds-stress turbulence closure model, J. Atmos. Sci., 39, 1506-1520, 1982.
54. Thorpe, S. A., Turbulence and mixing in a Scottish loch. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 286, 125-181, 1977.
55. Thorpe, S. A., Transitional phenomena and the development of turbulence in stratified fluids: A review, J. Geophys. Res., 92, 5231-5248, 1987.
56. Trowbridge, J. H., W. R. Geyer, M. M. Bowen, and A. J. Williams III, Near-bottom turbulence measurements in a partially mixed estuary: Turbulent energy balance, velocity structure, and along-channel momentum balance, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 29, 3056-3072, 1999.
57. Turner, J. S., Buoyancy Effects in Fluids. Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 1973.
58. Wesson, J. C., and M. C. Gregg, Mixing at Camarinal sill in the strait of Gibraltar, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 9847-9878, 1994.
59. Woods, J. D., Wave-induced shear instability in the summer thermocline, J. Fluid Mech., 32, 791-800, 1968.
60. Zhou, M., Influence of bottom stress on the two-layer flow induced by gravity currents in estuaries, Estuarine Coastal Shelf Sci., 46, 811-825, 1998.