Abstract
A new bulk parameter, Lagoon Richardson Number (RiL), was developed based on the Estuarine Richardson Number (RiE) to characterize the mixing/stratification process of permanently open choked coastal lagoons (POCCLs) in Sri Lanka. In addition to tidal induced mixing, wind induced mixing is also incorporated in RiL. Furthermore, the estuarine bulk model was modified by replacing RiE from RiL in order to make it more applicable to POCCLs. By using the energy terms included in RiL, a significant amount of potential energy reduction was able to identify in dry season with compared to rainy season which make the process of wind induce mixing more prominent in dry season for Koggala Lagoon. Bulk models application to Koggala Lagoon shows that the salinity stratification estimation capability of the modified bulk model is greater than Fischer’s model, particularly for dry season surveys.
