A Hydrodynamic Model for the Study of the Seasonal Variation in the Residence Time of Water Mass in the Inner Gulf of Thailand

Authors

  • Dudsadee Leenawarat
  • Siraporn - Tong-u-dom
  • Anukul Buranapratheprat

Abstract

The average residence time of water mass in the Inner Gulf of Thailand (IGoT) was investigated by using a hydrodynamic model namely the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) coupled with the dispersion model of                                a conservative dissolved material. It was founded that the counterclockwise and clockwise circulation developed during the northeast and the southwest monsoon, respectively, shorten the residence time of the water mass. The shortest residence time of 101 days occurred in November when the counterclockwise circulation was well developed while the longest residence time of 219 days occurred in January and September when the circulation pattern was complicated. A numerical experiment had been designed for testing the influence of the physical forces on the residence time variations. The results suggested that wind made the residence time shorter and seasonally varied. Tide made the residence time longer in every month while the influence of river discharge was minimal. The results from the case of time-varying inputs revealed insignificant difference of averaged residence times between months. Long residence time and high river discharge were related to high surface chlorophyll-a, revealed by satellite imageries from Aqua MODIS Level 3, in September and October.              Keywords:  residence time of water mass, Inner Gulf of Thailand, hydrodynamic model, seasonal variation

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Published

2019-01-09