Upstream Propagating Long-Wave Modes at a Microtidal River Mouth
Matteo Postacchini 1; Lorenzo Melito 1; Alex Sheremet 2; Joseph Calantoni 3; Giovanna Darvini 1; Sara Corvaro 1; Francesco Memmola 1; Pierluigi Penna 4; Maurizio Brocchini 1; *;
We illustrate recent findings on the upriver propagation of long waves entering the mouth
of the Misa River (Senigallia, Italy). Such a microtidal environment has been recently studied to
understand river-sea interactions: it has been found that the river forcing dominates over the marine
actions in winter, especially during storms. However, upriver wave propagation is not negligible
with low-frequency waves propagating upriver for distances of the order of kilometers. With the
aim to better understand the behavior of low-frequency waves propagating upriver, the analysis of
the present work builds on field data collected by instruments installed close to the mouth and along
the final reach of the Misa River: a tide gauge, two hydrometers and an acoustic Doppler sensor. It
has been here observed that the tidal forcing (periods of the order of hours/days) is significantly
strong at a distance of more than one kilometer from the river mouth, while shorter waves, like
seiches (periods of some hours), are less important and are supposed to largely dissipate at the
estuary, although their role could be of importance during relatively short events (e.g., floods).
2020 - Contribution to conference proceedings
4th EWaS International Conference: Valuing the Water, Carbon, Ecological Footprints of Human Activities, online, 24-27/06/2020
Keywords: River mouth, microtidal, Wave-current interaction, low-frequency waves