Short-Term Characteristics of Coastal Lagoon Entrances in California

by Peter Goodwin, Philip Williams & Associates Ltd, San Francisco, United States,
Philip B. Williams, Philip Williams & Associates Ltd, San Francisco, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Coastal Sediments

Abstract:

Methods of predicting the frequency of lagoon opening conditions and the cross-sectional area of the inlet channel are reviewed. The potential variation from these empirical relations within a diurnal tidal cycle and from spring to neap tides is demonstrated by field measurements in the Tijuana Estuary. An empirical method for predicting the short-term variation of inlet area in the Tijuana Estuary is developed. A mathematical model is used to demonstrate the influence of the inlet channel geometry on the tidal regime and the salinity distribution throughout the lagoon. The possibility of minimizing the effects of freshwater inflow on salt marsh habitat by management of the inlet channel is discussed.

Subject Headings: Salt water | Inlets (waterway) | Tides | Lagoons | Water resources | Estuaries | Channels (waterway) | California | United States

Services: Buy this book/Buy this article

 

Return to search