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The Dynamics Of Mixing And Subtidal Flow In A Maine Estuary, Kristopher Bears

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Long-term material transport in estuaries is largely controlled by subtidal flow. Subtidal flows are driven by conditions specific to their geographic location, namely river discharge, tidal forcing, and wind. These conditions are further modified by mixing, curvature of the estuary, Coriolis, and friction. While many practices of measuring these various forcing mechanisms exist, the current literature fails to provide a standard for measuring turbulent mixing in well- mixed estuaries. As a changing climate affects these various forcing and modifying mechanisms via sea level rise and increased precipitation, the corresponding material transport scheme is expected to change accordingly. Subtidal flow and …