High and variable drag in a sinuous estuary with intermittent stratification

Abstract

In field observations from a sinuous estuary, the drag coefficient C based on the momentum balance was in the range of 5-20 X10-3, much greater than expected from bottom friction alone. C also varied at tidal and seasonal timescales. CD was greater during flood tides than ebbs, most notably during spring tides. The ebb tide CD was negatively correlated with river discharge, while the flood tide CD showed no dependence on discharge. The large values of CD are explained by form drag from flow separation at sharp channel bends. Greater water depths during flood tides corresponded with increased values of CD, consistent with the expected depth dependence for flow separation, as flow separation becomes stronger in deeper water. Additionally, the strength of the adverse pressure gradient downstream of the bend apex, which is indicative of flow separation, correlated with CD during flood tides. While CD generally increased with water depth, CD decreased for the highest water levels that corresponded with overbank flow. The decrease in CD may be due to the inhibition of flow separation with flow over the vegetated marsh. The dependence of CD during ebbs on discharge corresponds with the inhibition of flow separation by a favoring baroclinic pressure gradient that is locally generated at the bend apex due to curvature-induced secondary circulation. This effect increases with stratification, which increases with discharge. Additional factors may contribute to the high drag, including secondary circulation, multiple scales of bedforms, and shallow shoals, but the observations suggest that flow separation is the primary source.