Small river plumes are typical features at many coastal regions in the World Ocean. These water masses have relatively small areas and volumes; however, due to their energetic dynamics localized in a thin surface layer, they strongly affect coastal circulation, water quality, and ocean-atmosphere interaction. In this study, we investigate external factors, which govern synoptic and seasonal variability of small river plumes, and, therefore, affect land-ocean fluxes of fluvial water and biogeochemically important material. We use numerical modeling to simulate small river plumes at the northeastern part of the Black Sea. We describe the response time of small river plumes to changes in river discharge and wind forcing conditions, which determines variability of river plumes at different time scales. We reveal that the influence of river plumes on coastal processes depends not only on total annual river discharge volume, but also on temporal distribution of high-discharge and low-discharge periods. Seasonal and synoptic features of local atmospheric circulation could strongly modify the relation between river plume characteristics and river discharge rate. The results obtained in this study are important for better assessment of delivery and fate of river-borne suspended and dissolved matter, as well as floating litter in coastal areas.

This article is devoted to the analysis of the simulated meteorological and hydrodynamic characteristics of the Sea of Azov using the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model and INMOM (Institute of Numerical Mathematics Ocean Model). The goal is to investigate the sea’s response to atmospheric forcing using two different horizontal resolutions. A comparison of the atmospheric simulation results with available meteorological in situ data from the land-based hydrometeorological stations (HMSs) did not reveal any significant differences between the simulations with different atmospheric forcing resolutions. A spatiotemporal analysis of the WRF model and INMOM results showed the most prominent differences along the entire coastal zone, especially in Taganrog Bay, along the spits in the north part of the sea, and in the Kerch Strait. Here, the wind speed obtained at a high spatial resolution (3.3 km) was ~10–15% higher than that obtained at a coarse resolution (10 km), and the surface and bottom currents were up to ~40% and ~15% higher. In marine coastal zones, the greatest differences were noted in a band of ~5 km, and differences in the rest of the Sea of Azov were negligible. An analysis of the bottom current speed revealed the presence of a counter-current flowing into Taganrog Bay. This shows the necessity of using three-dimensional marine circulation models to study the Sea of Azov’s dynamics.

The iceberg drift model is developed and used for simulating the iceberg drift trajectory in the Barents Sea. The model is forced by hydrometeorological characteristics obtained from ship...

Reliable forecasting of meteorological, hydrothermodynamic, and ice characteristics in the waters of the Western Arctic Seas of Russia using atmospheric ci