Upstream extension of a bottom-advected plume and its mechanism: The case of the Yellow River

Hydrographic surveys have revealed that the Yellow River plume propagates in the direction opposite to that of a Kelvin wave (upstream) under a low river discharge condition, but turns downstream as the river discharge increases. A numerical model reproduced the upstream extension of the plume under the low river discharge condition and the transition to the downstream direction under the high river discharge condition, and confirmed that the summer wind is not the necessary condition for upstream extension of the plume. With the condition of low river discharge, the model also indicated the dependence of the upstream extension of the plume on the tidal range: extending upstream in spring tide but turning downstream in neap tide. The upstream movement of the plume results from the upstream transport of freshwater that depends on the upstream tide-induced residual current around the river mouth and the downstream density-driven current around the offshore plume front. With the condition of high river discharge, the upstream tide-induced residual current cannot compete with the downstream density-driven current and the plume turns downstream. Momentum analysis confirms the important roles of advection term and viscosity term in the condition of low river discharge and the shift to a Coriolis force-dominated system under high river discharge condition. An idealized model study suggests a dimensionless number for the river discharge changing the river plume extension from upstream to downstream under a specific upstream ambient current around the river mouth.