Effect of sloping bottom on river plume dynamics on a laboratory-scale rotating table

In nature, plumes usually enter the coastal ocean after they leave estuary, and most of them interact with continental shelf slope. To understand plume dynamics, laboratory experiments were carried out on a rotating table to simulate evolution over sloping bottom. We modified reduced gravity g’ , Coriolis parameter f slope α study their impacts characteristics freshwater fate, used optical thickness method obtain depth field. found that increasing or decreasing maximum h max decreases width W increases. proposed determine types based attachment slope: when PCN (plume classification number) > 1.6, is bottom-attached; PCN< surface-advected. addition, we bulge will become unstable BIN (bulge instability number)< 0.8. Our analysis shows bottom significant factor determining ratio accumulated in transported currents. Generally, bottom-attached trapped near coast inhibits offshore transport promotes current transport, while baroclinic tends produce large cyclonic vortex gentle which strongly enhances transport.