Abstract
Abstract. The aim of this study was to investigate the variability of the water exchanges in the Curonian Lagoon based on the hydraulic regime and the atmospheric forcings. A finite element hydrodynamic model has been applied to the Curonian Lagoon to simulate the circulation patterns for 10 years. With the help of a transport–diffusion model, the salinity distribution and the renewal times of the Curonian Lagoon have been investigated when forced by river runoff, wind, and Baltic Sea level fluctuations. The hydrodynamic model has been validated using in situ salinity measurements. Model results show that the variability depends mainly on seasonal changes in hydrographic forcing and on the dominant wind regimes that prevail over the Curonian Lagoon. Exchanges between the southern and the northern part of the lagoon mostly depend on the wind forcing and are much less influenced by the river discharge. However, when looking at the water renewal time, the most important factor is the river discharge into the lagoon. Other physical forcings only marginally determine the renewal time, and not even ice cover is able to influence it. Even if ice cover strongly inhibits the exchanges between the southern and northern lagoon, it is basically not able to change the absolute value of the renewal times.
Highlights
Lagoons are the most productive coastal habitats on earth
For the calibration and validation results of salinity, a data set of daily measurements performed by the Marine Research Department of Lithuanian Environmental Protection Agency, linked to the Lithuanian Ministry of Environment, for the period 2004–2010 for the northern part of the Curonian Lagoon (Juodkranteand Klaipeda Strait) was used
For the calibration and validation of modeled salinity, a data set of daily measurements performed by the Marine Research Department of Lithuania Environment Ministry for the period 2004–2010 for the northern part of the Curonian Lagoon (Juodkranteand Klaipeda Strait) was available
Summary
Lagoons are the most productive coastal habitats on earth. They are, considered to be extremely vulnerable to human impact and future climate change. They have crucial relevance what concerns ecological, social, and economical importance, both in a historical and present day (Gonenc and Wolflin, 2005). In lagoons with no freshwater inputs from the land, the only water renewal mechanisms are the exchanges with the open sea. These exchanges are governed by water level variations (mainly tides and storm surges) and wind forcing (especially in lagoons with more than one inlet)
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