Modelling of the Ebro River plume. Validation with field observations

Authors

  • Marc Mestres Laboratori d’Enginyeria Marítima, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
  • Joan Pau Sierra Laboratori d’Enginyeria Marítima, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
  • Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla Laboratori d’Enginyeria Marítima, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
  • Julio González del Río Laboratorio de Tecnologías del Medio Ambiente, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
  • Thomas Wolf Institute for Lake Research. Dept. Hydrology & Lake Physics
  • Andres Rodríguez Laboratorio de Hidráulica, FCEFyN, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
  • Sylvain Ouillon Centre IRD Nouméa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2003.67n4379

Keywords:

Ebro River, river plume, numerical modelling, hydrodynamics, dispersion

Abstract


The spreading of the plume induced by the freshwater discharge from the Ebro River into northwestern Mediterranean coastal waters was modelled using two numerical codes. The coastal current field was obtained with a finite difference hydrodynamic model based on a steady-state version of the shallow-water equations, whereas the freshwater dispersion was calculated with a Lagrangian code that solves the 3D convection-diffusion equation and reproduces turbulent diffusion using a random-walk algorithm. The agreement obtained between numerical results, satellite observations and field measurements allows an analysis of the more relevant physical mechanisms and the corresponding tuning of the two models. The results show that local hydrodynamics near the river mouth, and consequently the spreading of the river plume, are highly dependent on the driving river discharge and wind field characteristics.

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Published

2003-12-30

How to Cite

1.
Mestres M, Sierra JP, Sánchez-Arcilla A, González del Río J, Wolf T, Rodríguez A, Ouillon S. Modelling of the Ebro River plume. Validation with field observations. Sci. mar. [Internet]. 2003Dec.30 [cited 2024Mar.19];67(4):379-91. Available from: https://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/492

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