A three-dimensional model study on processes of stratification and de-stratification in the Limfjord

Investigations on stratifying and de-stratifying processes in the Limfjord in Denmark, stretching from the North Sea at the western end to the Kattegat at the eastern end, were carried out. The forcing of the Limfjord is dominated by mean sea surface elevation and salinity gradients, diffuse freshwater supply, as well as episodic saline inflow events from the North Sea boundary. The physical regime of the Limfjord switches periodically from stratified to mixed conditions. In order to investigate the complexity of the system, a realistic three-dimensional high-resolution numerical model study was conducted for the year 2003. The results are based on, and compared to, available field data. A central subject of this study is the anomaly of potential energy as a measure for stratification. The stratifying and de-stratifying processes are identified as contributing terms in a dynamic equation for the potential energy anomaly. The comparison of model results and observations shows that the model has the capability of reproducing the observed physical regimes. Changes in the simulated stratification turn out to be a complex interaction of differential advection, heating and turbulent mixing in the central Limfjord.