Author(s): John Ferris; Hubert Chanson; Richard Brown
Linked Author(s): Richard Brown, Hubert Chanson
Keywords: Mixing; Estuary; Field experience; Turbulence; Water quality; Ecology; Sub-tropical stream
Abstract: In natural systems, mixing is driven by turbulence, but current knowledge is limited in estuarine zones, where predictions of contaminant dispersion are often accurate" within a factor of 10". A series of detailed multi-disciplinary field studies was conducted in a small subtropical creek in eastern Australia. Hydrodynamic, water quality and ecological measurements were conducted simultaneously to assess the complexity of the estuarine zone and the interactions between turbulence and environment. The results provide unique and original snapshots of subtropical creek to complement long-term monitoring. The methodology set new standards for comprehensive surveys of small estuaries in sub-tropical zone. A significant feature of the field studies was the contrasted outcomes, and the finding impacts on the selection of" key water quality indicators". Short-term fluctuations in water quality parameters were further observed to be at least one order or magnitude smaller than turbulent velocity fluctuations.
Year: 2004