New insights into the Western Iberian Buoyant Plume: Interaction between the Douro and Minho River plumes under winter conditions

摘要

The Douro and Minho Rivers are the most important freshwater contributors on the northwestern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Although their interaction is poorly understood, it is well known that they generate the Western Iberian Buoyant Plume (WIBP). This study aims to research the interaction of the Douro and Minho estuarine plumes under winter conditions, with a focus on the changes induced in normal WIBP patterns. Additionally, it will assess the impact of these changes on the Rias Baixas dynamics. An integrated analysis of the dispersion of these plumes was performed through hydrodynamic and Lagrangian numerical simulations of representative winter conditions for January and February 2010. Several simulations were carried out to study the interaction between plumes and their direct and indirect influence on coastal circulation.