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Abstract The Connecticut River plume is influenced by energetic ambient tides in the Long Island Sound receiving waters. The objectives of this modeling study are (a) characterizing the spatial heterogeneity of turbulent buoyancy fluxes, (b) partitioning turbulent buoyancy fluxes into bottom‐generated and interfacial shear contributions, and (c) quantifying contributions to plume‐integrated mixing within the tidal plume. The plume formed during ambient flood tides under low river discharge, spring tides, and no winds is analyzed. Turbulent buoyancy fluxes (B) and depth‐integratedBthrough the plume (Bd) are characterized by pronounced spatial heterogeneity. Strong mixing (Bd∼ 10⁻⁵‐10⁻⁴ m³/s³) occurs near the mouth, in the nearfield plume turning region, over shoals, and nearshore shallow areas. Low to moderate mixing (Bd∼ 10⁻⁸‐10⁻⁶ m³/s³) occupies half the plume. Buoyancy fluxes are first partitioned based on the depth of the shear stress minimum between plume‐generated and bottom‐generated shear maxima. Four other tested partitioning methods are based on open channel flow and stratified shear flow parameterizations. Interfacial and bottom‐generated shear contribute to different areas of intense and moderate mixing. All methods indicate a significant plume mixing role for bottom‐generated mixing, but interfacial mixing is a bigger contributor. Plume‐integrated total and interfacial mixing peak at max ambient flood and the timing of peak bottom‐generated mixing varies among partitioning methods. Two‐thirds of the mixing occurs in concentrated intense mixing areas. A parameter space with the ambient tidal Froude number and plume thickness to depth ratio as axes indicates many tidally modulated plumes are moderately to dominantly influenced by bottom‐generated tidal mixing. 

Abstract Microstructure profiling was utilized to estimate vertical mixing (via vertical turbulent buoyancy flux) during a tidal pulse in the interior Merrimack River plume in calm winds. Multiple stratified shear mixing regimes appear and evolve with time. Initially the plume acts as a nearfield jet, with mixing in the plume (plume layer mixing) and over the plume‐ambient interface (nearfield interfacial mixing). As the plume grows, interfacial mixing is suppressed offshore of the nearfield as currents slow, diminishing turbulent exchange between plume and shelf. At the end of ebb, ambient tidal currents reverse direction below plume, initiating another mode of internal, interfacial mixing (coined here as tidal interfacial mixing), allowing exchange between plume and ambient waters offshore. This work highlights previously unreported tidally modulated mixing within the near and midfield of a river plume. 

This dataset contains the supporting data for figures in “Separation of the Icelandic Coastal Current from the Reykjanes Peninsula,” a scientific article in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science by Michael M. Whitney (affiliated with the University of Connecticut). The main objective of this study is describing and diagnosing Icelandic Coastal Current separation from the southwest tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula and the subsequent offshore excursion. Particular attention is paid to the interplay of coastal curvature, bathymetry, and winds. Motivated by satellite observations and prior research, realistic high-resolution (eddy-resolving) numerical simulations are conducted and analyzed. Sensitivity model runs for the study area are compared to isolate bathymetric and wind influences. Results have broader relevance to offshore transport and exchange on continental shelves. The dataset is composed of MATLAB data files, which are named FigureXX_data.mat. These files contain all data presented in the corresponding figures within the journal article. Details about variables and units are described within the figure captions and text of the article. The article contains complete descriptions of methods, analysis, and interpretation. List of MATLAB data files: Figure01_data.mat Figure02_data.mat Figure03_data.mat Figure04_data.mat Figure05_data.mat Figure06_data.mat Figure07_data.mat Figure08_data.mat Figure09_data.mat Figure10_data.mat Figure11_data.mat Figure12_data.mat 

The Connecticut River plume interacts with the strong tidal currents of the ambient receiving waters in eastern Long Island Sound. The plume formed during ambient flood tides is studied as an example of tidal river plumes entering into energetic ambient tidal environments in estuaries or continental shelves. Conservative passive freshwater tracers within a high-resolution nested hydrodynamic model are applied to determine how source waters from different parts of the tidal cycle contribute to plume composition and interact with bounding plume fronts. The connection to source waters can be cut off only under low-discharge conditions, when tides reverse surface flow through the mouth after max ambient flood. Upstream plume extent is limited because ambient tidal currents arrest the opposing plume propagation, as the tidal internal Froude number exceeds one. The downstream extent of the tidal plume always is within 20 km from the mouth, which is less than twice the ambient tidal excursion. Freshwaters in the river during the preceding ambient ebb are the oldest found in the new flood plume. Connectivity with source waters and plume fronts exhibits a strong upstream-to-downstream asymmetry. The arrested upstream front has high connectivity, as all freshwaters exiting the mouth immediately interact with this boundary. The downstream plume front has the lowest overall connectivity, as interaction is limited to the oldest waters since younger interior waters do not overtake this front. The offshore front and inshore boundary exhibit a downstream progression from younger to older waters and decreasing overall connectivity with source waters. Plume-averaged freshwater tracer concentrations and variances both exhibit an initial growth period followed by a longer decay period for the remainder of the tidal period. The plume-averaged tracer variance is increased by mouth inputs, decreased by entrainment, and destroyed by internal mixing. Peak entrainment velocities for younger waters are higher than values for older waters, indicating stronger entrainment closer to the mouth. Entrainment and mixing time scales (1–4 h at max ambient flood) are both shorter than half a tidal period, indicating entrainment and mixing are vigorous enough to rapidly diminish tracer variance within the plume.