Highly mutagenic compounds such as some PAHs have been identified in surface waters and sediments of the Seine river estuary. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) represents a dynamic medium that may contribute to the exposure of aquatic organisms to toxic compounds in the water column of the estuary. In order to investigate major sources of mutagenic contaminants along the estuary, water samples...

Phytoplankton distribution and environmental characteristics were determined in a shallow, highly stratified and oligotrophic estuary (Zrmanja, eastern Adriatic). Samples were collected in two contrasting seasons; winter (February 2000), when river discharge was high, and in summer (July 2003), a period of drought. Phytoplankton distribution was closely related to salinity gradients, nutrient l...

Small seine net fish assemblages in the headwater region of the Kariega Estuary are described and compared to the catch composition in other parts of the system. The geographical headwaters of the freshwater ‘deprived’ Kariega Estuary were utilised by a range of fish species but, in contrast to the nearby freshwater ‘rich’ Great Fish Estuary, few important angling species (e.g. spotted grunter ...

Tidal dynamics of shallow estuaries and lagoons is a complex matter that has attracted the attention of a large number of researchers over the last few decades. The main purpose of the present work is to study the intricate tidal dynamics of the Tagus estuary, which states as the largest estuary of the Iberian Peninsula and one of the most important wetlands in Portugal and Europe. Tagus has la...

The Pearl River Estuary is a typical estuary region in southern China, and the study of surface wave occurrence characteristics great importance for shipping management, nearshore engineering, monitoring shoreline changes other human activities. Long-term continuous observational data are critical achieving better understanding waves. In this study, measurements based on high-precision gauge we...

Natural patterns of zooplankton variability (temporal and spatial) in the Kromme Estuary have broken down due to persistent euhalinity (salinity values above 28‰) throughout the estuary. These conditions occur as a consequence of freshwater retention by a large reservoir. Only 2 x 10 m (<2% of the mean annual runoff (MAR) from the catchment) is allocated to the estuary per annum, and the presen...

A numerical simulation of circulation in the Columbia River estuary and plume during the summer of 2004 is used to explore the mixing involved as river water is transformed into shelf water. The model is forced with realistic river flow, tides, wind stress, surface heat flux, and ocean boundary conditions. Simulated currents and water properties on the shelf near the mouth are compared with rec...

The salinity budget in a 3-D numerical model of an estuary is analyzed using isohaline surfaces to define the volume of integration. Such surfaces move with the currents, and as a result of turbulent mixing. The isohaline analysis allows us to clarify the processes which create and destroy water in different salinity classes in the estuary. We find that the estuary naturally divides into three ...

The adjustment of estuarine circulation and density to changes in river flow and tidal mixing is investigated using analytical and numerical models. Tidally averaged momentum and salinity equations in a rectangular estuary are vertically averaged over two levels, resulting in equations that are analytically tractable while retaining a broad range of time-dependent behavior. It is found that bot...

The interactions of circulation and growth processes in determining the horizontal distribution of eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) larvae in the Delaware Bay estuary were investigated with a coupled circulation-individual-based larvae model that used environmental conditions from the spawning seasons (mid-June to mid-September) of 1984, 1985, 1986, 2000, and 2001. Particles, representing...