Residence time in a semi-enclosed domain from the solution of an adjoint problem
Delhez, E.J.M.; Heemink, A.W.; Deleersnijder, E. (2004). Residence time in a semi-enclosed domain from the solution of an adjoint problem. Est., Coast. and Shelf Sci. 61(4): 691-702. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2004.07.013 In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. Academic Press: London; New York. ISSN 0272-7714; e-ISSN 1096-0015, more |  |
| Keywords | Modelling
Residence time
Transport processes > Advection
Transport processes > Diffusion
Water bodies > Oceans > Marginal seas > Semi-enclosed seas
ANE, North Sea [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal | | Author keywords | residence time; advection-diffusion; diagnostic; adjoint modeling; North Sea |
| Abstract | The residence time measures the time spent by a water parcel or a pollutant in a given water body and is therefore a widely used concept in environmental studies. While many previous studies rely on severe hypotheses (assuming stationarity of the flow and/or neglecting diffusion) to evaluate the residence time, the paper introduces a general method for computing the residence time and/or the mean residence time without such simplifying hypotheses. The method is based on the resolution of an adjoint advection-diffusion problem and is therefore primarily meant to be used with numerical models. The method and its implications are first introduced using a simplified one-dimensional analytical model. The approach is then applied to the diagnostic of the three-dimensional circulation on the Northwest European Continental Shelf. |
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