dividing Line between fresh and salt water

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slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
I don't know the name, but surely it varies in position depending on the state of the tide?
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
[QUOTE 5011255, member: 9609"]yes certainly, it can be a bit of an indicator the tide is going out. Wind can also move it, I guess the lighter fresh water likes to stay on the top, it always surprises me how it doesn't mix in quicker than it does.[/QUOTE]
I suspect that the physics is pretty complicated. Even if the fresh water is moving, I would guess that some of the salty stuff still manages to get upstream. It's a long time since I took my A-levels. We need @McWobble
 

Bazzer

Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
I thought a halocline is where there is a vertical column of water? Can be quite disarming to dive through.
Depending upon the strength of the current I would imagine there would be a halocline under the water, but I would hesitate to call the line you see on the surface a halocline.
 
U

User482

Guest
I suspect that the physics is pretty complicated. Even if the fresh water is moving, I would guess that some of the salty stuff still manages to get upstream. It's a long time since I took my A-levels. We need @McWobble
It is. Many factors affect the extent and type of mixing, including the size and shape of the estuary, wind direction, and tidal range. Salt and fresh water do not tend to mix well as fresh water is less dense. Unfortunately, it's 20 years since I studied this stuff, and that's all I can remember!
 

Beebo

Firm and Fruity
Location
Hexleybeef
Can be quite disarming to dive through..
When i was snorkling at a nature reserve in mexico the water had an oily appearance where you could see the two different waters mixing.
The iimmediate temperature change was also very noticeable as you crossed between them.
 

MikeG

Guru
Location
Suffolk
[QUOTE 5011249, member: 9609"]dividing Line between fresh and salt water - does this have a name ?
here is one from today as a river flows into the sea.......[/QUOTE]

The Amazon's discharge into the ocean is such that this halocline is found up to 125 miles out to sea.
 
The Amazon's discharge into the ocean is such that this halocline is found up to 125 miles out to sea.
Screen Shot 2017-10-24 at 10.13.57.jpg

:laugh:
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
There is an amazing place on Skye where the river Coruisk or Scavaig flows across spectacular glaciated gabbro slabs straight into the sea, this is the best photo I can find of it. It's one of those places that can't have changed much since the last ice age:

isle%2520of%2520skye%2520and%2520localsh1.jpg


Here's another I found:

4675767_d85a9307.jpg
 
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