Numerical study on residual current and its impact on mass transport in the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary I. A 3 - D joint model of the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary

A 3-D numerical model is set up in a large demain covering the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary based on the ECOM model in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates. The numerical schemes for baroclinic pressure gradient (BPG) terms and convective terms are improved in the paper according to the characteristics of velocity field and mass transport in the area. The model is validated by the simulations of residual current and salinity transport in the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary.