Abstract
Prediction of salinity is of significant importance to the water management in estuaries. Although nowadays advanced numerical three-dimensional models are available that can provide detailed information on the salinity and mixing processes, there is still a need for simple tools to be performed in order to investigate the resultant effects of physical quantities on the salinity distribution. The analytical analysis presented in this paper may serve these needs. A new analytical form of the salt intrusion model was developed for use in funnel shaped estuaries, where little known about the effects of the channel shape and hydraulic parameters on the salinity distribution. The newly developed analytical model was well-tested against observational salinity data in the Abashiri River estuary under different tidal conditions and river discharge rates.
