French & Stoddart 1992 marsh hydraulics

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French, J.R. & D.R. Stoddart. 1992. Hydrodynamics of salt marsh creek systems: implications for marsh morphological development adn material exchange. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, vol. 17, pp. 235-252.

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  • French and Stoddart describe and discuss the implications of what they call a discontinuous stage-prism relationship, meaning that as tidal stage increases, when the tidal stage goes above the marsh plain, there is a sudden increase in tidal prism, which affects velocity, and in turn sediment transport/deposition and channel formation. This results in an important distinction between tidal flood and ebb occuring within channels and tidal flood and ebb. -Pcereghino (talk)
  • This pattern is important to understanding the dynamics of channel formation in relation to marsh elevation, and the importance of flows that occur outside of channels on marsh deposition. Across marsh sheet flow may then conceptually be responsilble for a disproportionate proportion of sediment deposition. Channel forming flows are anticipated to occur during brief periods of ebb flow. While constriction of marsh entrance may not affect stage, it may affect the volume of prism that moves through a site during an above channel flow. -Pcereghino (talk)