A method for calculating the duration and intensity of salt intrusions: the Yangtze River estuary

Abstract

Abstract. Studies of intrusions of salt water into estuaries are typically constrained by both the short duration of discharge records and the paucity of observations of discharge and salinity. Thus studies of intrusions of salt water into estuaries typically seek to identify the conditions under which intrusions occur, using detailed observations for periods of 20–60 days. This paper demonstrates a method by which to identify the conditions under which intense intrusions of long duration occur and applies that method to the Yangtze River estuary. The paper constructs a model of the relationship between salinity and discharge and then employs Monte Carlo simulation methods to reconstruct the..