ABSTRACT
Estuarine fronts as subclasses of coastal fronts have been receiving increased attention by oceanographers. This chapter aims to explain as simply as possible some of the important physical processes operative in several types of estuarine fronts. It discusses that plume front is an important class of estuarine front. The chapter describes the tidal mixing fronts that are observed in moderately stratified estuaries where there are spatial variations in tidal stirring capable of breaking down stored buoyancy in the water column. It also discusses spring-neap variations in tidal stirring and their effects on tidal mixing fronts. In estuaries, the distribution of hydrographic properties is controlled by the way in which the freshwater input mixes with seawater. Fronts formed by tidal stirring variations in moderately stratified estuaries can extend distances of many kilometers.
