Articles | Volume 16, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-799-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-799-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
13 Jul 2020
Research article |
| 13 Jul 2020
| 13 Jul 2020
The role of turbulence and internal waves in the structure and evolution of a near-field river plume
Rebecca A. McPherson
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Craig L. Stevens
Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand
Joanne M. O'Callaghan
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand
Andrew J. Lucas
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
Jonathan D. Nash
College of Earth, Oceans and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
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Short summary
River plume characteristics (density, velocity, turbulence) are measured in the first several kilometers of a river flow entering a New Zealand fjord. These observations are used to quantify the influence of the main plume dynamics on controlling the behavior and structure of the flow. The mixing of dense, stationary water from below into the fast-flowing plume drove its deceleration. Internal waves were capable of transporting almost 15 % of the total momentum out beyond the plume's boundaries.
River plume characteristics (density, velocity, turbulence) are measured in the first several...
