Dominant Shear Stresses in Arrested Saline Wedges

Abstract

The shear stresses in saline wedges have been investigated in a 20 m long variable slope flume by the following approaches: (1) Direct measurements of velocities and Reynolds stresses through hot film anemometers; (2) integration of the equations of motion; (3) Schijf‐Schoenfeld's one‐dimensional model; (4) integration of the equations of motion assuming zero bed stress. It was found that the interfacial and bed friction coefficients, fi and fo, respectively, can best be correlated with the number ReFr2, in which Re is the Reynolds number, and Fr is the nondensimetric Froude number and with the relative density Δρ/ρ taken as an independent parameter. The results are given as a family of curves with each curve corresponding to a specific Δρ/ρ. The scattering of data is small and the agreement with results of earlier studies is good. Values of fi determined by the first two approaches agree closely, as do values obtained by the third and fourth approach. However the latter are substantially higher than the first. This is indicative of a strong effect of the bed resistance on the interfacial friction.