Hydrodynamic Modeling of Estuaries – A state-of - art

Estuaries are said to be the most productive natural habitat in the world. Estuaries are transition between a river and sea, where tides contribute to salinity and fresh water flow reduces the saline conditions simultaneously. Any pollutant in the estuary is subjected to these dynamic processes, before it gets flushed out into the sea. There are several theories by which the mixing and circulation of estuaries can be understood. Based on these theories, a number of modeling techniques are available. This paper brings out a review of some of the recent advances in modeling approaches for understanding the mixing and circulation in estuaries.