Field Observations Reveal How Plunging Mixing and Sediment Resuspension Affect the Pathway of a Dense River Inflow Into a Deep Stratified Lake
Résumé
The pathway of dense river inflows into lakes, which affects the lake water quality, is not accurately predicted by existing models. The pathway of a dense riverine inflow in a lake with a submerged canyon is analyzed based on measurements during a 4-month period of weakening lake stratification and weakening density excess between river and epilimnion. In line with models, the dense riverine inflow plunges upon entering the lake, continues as an underflow on the sloping lake bottom, and finally intrudes at its level of neutral buoyancy. Underflow and interflow velocities are O(0.1 m s-1). The river inflow is finally trapped in the pycnocline most of the time, even when the river's density excess and the lake's stratification are marginal. This trapping in the pycnocline is explained by the reduction of the inflow density excess due to the intense plunging mixing, which is an order of magnitude larger than that obtained in confined laboratory flumes. The pathway of the dense riverine inflow is affected by interactions of the underflow with the lake bottom and sedimentary processes. A canyon carved by the underflows confines and accelerates the underflow, which enhances its capacity to entrain and carry sediment. The entrainment of sediment that was previously deposited on the canyon bottom accelerates the underflow. Due to both effects, the underflow can temporarily break through the pycnocline and reach the hypolimnion. Existing models explain these observations qualitatively, but a quantitative prediction would require better parameterizations of the plunging mixing and the sedimentary processes. The pathway of river inflows into lakes is not accurately predicted by existing models. We investigate the physical processes affecting the pathway of dense riverine inflow (i.e., inflow with a density higher than lake water) into a stratified lake. We investigate the conditions under which a dense riverine inflow get trapped in the pycnocline (the layer that separates warmer surface waters from cold deep waters) or break through it. Unprecedented long records of the temporal evolution of the pathway of the riverine flow into the lake during a period of weakening riverine density excess and lake stratification are conceptualized in a model, which extends existing concepts for dense riverine inflows. The entrainment of lake waters into the riverine inflow in the plunging region is larger than predicted by laboratory studies. This explains why the riverine inflow is trapped in the pycnocline most of the time. Flow confinement by a canyon carved by the riverine inflow into the lake bottom accelerates the riverine inflow and enhance sediment entrainment capacity causing short-lived self-accelerating turbidity currents along the lake bottom that break through the pycnocline and reach deep waters. Our results allow improved estimates of oxygen replenishment or sediment deposition from riverine water. Plunging mixing into an unconfined ambient is an order of magnitude larger than in a confined ambient Pronounced plunging mixing reduces the initial density excess explaining why the inflow is mostly trapped in the pycnocline Resuspension of lake bottom sediment can cause short-lived self-accelerating turbidity currents that break through the pycnocline
Auteurs, date et publication :
Auteurs Koen Blanckaert , Love Raman Vinna , Damien Bouffard , Ulrich Lemmin , David Andrew Barry
Publication : WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
Date : 2024
Volume : 60
Issue : 4