Hydrodynamic modeling of stratified estuary: case study of the Jadro River (Croatia)

The Jadro River with total length of 4.3 km and average annual discharge of 7.9 m3 s-1 is a relatively small river on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea, close to Split. Field campaign measurements were made to estimate salt intrusion in the Jadro estuary in July 2012. This measurement confirmed the stratified character of the estuary where fresh water flows in a thin layer over denser sea water. Furthermore, a numerical model was set up for simulating unsteady stratified flow without mixing between the layers. The model is applied for the Jadro River and field measurements are used for calibration. In addition, the steady state of stratification within the estuary is analyzed by a box model which assumes mixing between layers. Results of the numerical and the box models were compared. The flushing time estimated with the box model is approximately 1.5 day for summer steady conditions. Numerical analysis however shows that the residence time is much larger owing to flow unsteadiness