ABSTRACT
Ruiz-Reina, A.; Zarzuelo, C.; López-Herrera, J., and López-Ruiz, A., 2020. The marine-fluvial frontier at river mouths during extreme events: A hydrodynamic approach. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 1525–1530. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.
This work analyses the interplay between river discharges and astronomical tides to identify the marine-fluvial frontier under extreme river floods at river mouths. The main variables controlling the position of this frontier are identified, quantifying their influence by means of the upstream extent from the river mouth for which tides modify water levels. The analysis is performed using numerical modelling on synthetic scenarios, widening the applicability the results. These results show that the frontier is closely related to both the stream slope and the relation between the water depth along the stream and at the river mouth. These water depths are related to stream roughness and tide conditions, respectively. This detailed analysis of the location of the marine-fluvial frontier contributes to a deeper knowledge of the river mouth dynamics and the application of risk assessment procedures based on the determination of hazard regions classified by threshold values of water depth and velocity.
