SEMINAR: Flow structures in shallow water bodies

Shallow flows are ubiquitous and are the norm rather than the exception, and may be defined as predominantly horizontal flows constrained in the vertical by the shallow nature of the receiving water domain. Flows in wide rivers, in bays, estuaries and coastal waters, in shallow lakes or in the upper mixed layer of deep stratified lakes or reservoirs are important examples of such shallow flows. Different forcing, interacting with existing bathymetry and topographic features, produces a rich spectrum of variability/structures. This talk will present the preliminary results of detailed field observations and numerical modelling conducted in the Upper Rio de la Plata Estuary, a shallow coastal plain estuary (mean depth 5 m) located at 35°S on the Atlantic coast of South America between Argentina and Uruguay, to assess the mechanisms responsible for the water flux path and horizontal gradients. The combination of the field observations and validated numerical modelling has led to an inventory of processes and highlighted the importance of the interplay of different forcing and their role in determining the observed flow structures.