Circulation and Retention of River Plumes Around Capes

Abstract

AbstractRiver plumes often interact with capes in the coastal ocean, impacting local hydrodynamics and the transport of scalars. However, our current knowledge on how capes affect river plume separation, mixing, and retention is limited. Here, we conducted idealized numerical experiments with Gaussian‐shaped capes of varying curvature radii, constant river discharge, a sloping bottom, and scenarios with and without downwelling winds. We found that river plumes separate from capes when the Rossby number is above 1, a criterion that had not been tested for plume separation. This Rossby number is based on the plume velocity, the Coriolis factor, and the radius of curvature of the cape. Freshwater accumulation is greatest at the lee of narrow (i.e., pointy) capes under calm winds, but decreases significantly in downwelling winds or around broader capes.