Numerical study on salinity stratification in the Oujiang River Estuary

Abstract

The variations of current, salt intrusion and vertical stratification under different conditions of river flow and wind in the Oujiang River Estuary (ORE) were investigated in this article using the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC). The model was verified against water level variation, velocity, and salinity variations in June 2005. The simulation results agreed well with measured data. Six sensitivity tests were conducted for different conditions of river flow and wind specified in the model. Model results show that salinity intrudes further upstream under scenarios with low flow and downriver local wind conditions. In contrast, the responses of salinity stratification to different environmental forcing functions were different in different portions of the estuary. Salinity stratification was enhanced under high flow condition. Model results also show that wind is not crucial to the salt intrusion and salinity stratification in the ORE.