Numerical simulation of dissolved silica in the San Fancisco Bay

Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science
By: , and 

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Abstract

A two-dimensional (vertical) steady-state numerical model that simulates water circulation and dissolved-silica distributions is applied to northern San Francisco Bay. The model (1) describes the strong influence of river inflow on estuarine circulation and, in turn, on the biologically modulated silica concentration, and (2) shows how rates of silica uptake relate to silica supply and mixing rates in modifying a conservative behavior. Longitudinal silica distributions influenced by biological uptake (assuming both vertically uniform and vertically decreasing uptake situations) show that uptake rates of 1 to 10 μg-at. l−1 day−1 are sufficient to depress silica concentrations at river inflows of 100–400 m3 s−1, respectively, and that the higher rates appear ineffective at inflows above 400 m3 s−1. The simulations further indicate that higher silica utilization in the null zone is not essential to depress silica concentrations strongly there. Advective water-replacement times at river inflows of 400, 200 and 100 m3 s−1 are computed to be less than 25, 45 and 75 days, respectively, for a 120-km estuary-river system.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Numerical simulation of dissolved silica in the San Fancisco Bay
Series title Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science
DOI 10.1016/0302-3524(78)90068-3
Volume 7
Issue 2
Year Published 1978
Language English
Publisher Elsevier
Contributing office(s) California Water Science Center
Description 18 p.
First page 99
Last page 116
Country United States
State California
Other Geospatial San Francisco Bay
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