Lagrangian transport in estuaries and sea-level canals

The results of a study conducted to develop a model for measurement of tide-induced and density-induced Lagrangian currents by measuring parameters which act on the currents in an estuary are discussed. A two-dimensional (in a vertical plane) nonlinear model was modified to simulate mean Eulerian and Stokes velocities in tidal waters. The model is verified by comparing its results with known analytical solutions of Lagrangian currents in a homogeneous estuary. A set of model experiments is performed to investigate the influences of tidal forcing, density gradients, and topographic variations on the mean Lagrangian currents in an estuary. The verified model is then applied to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which is forced by tides of differing amplitudes and a phase difference at its extremities.