Region of freshwater influence
Encyclopedia
Region of Freshwater Influence (ROFI), a term coined by Prof. John Simpson of the University of Wales, Bangor, and co-authors, in 1993 in Oceanologica Acta for the Rhine river plume. The term refers to regions where river
s debouch
into estuaries
and coastal shelf seas where the currents patterns are governed by density differences between salt sea water and fresh river water.
In other words, a ROFI is the region between the shelf sea regime and the estuary where the local input of freshwater buoyancy from the coastal source is comparable with, or exceeds, the seasonal input of buoyancy as heat which occurs all over the shelf.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s debouch
Debouch
Debouch is a term used in river and stream geography, and the military.-Geography:In fluvial geography, a debouch is a place where a body of water pours forth from a narrow opening...
into estuaries
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
and coastal shelf seas where the currents patterns are governed by density differences between salt sea water and fresh river water.
In other words, a ROFI is the region between the shelf sea regime and the estuary where the local input of freshwater buoyancy from the coastal source is comparable with, or exceeds, the seasonal input of buoyancy as heat which occurs all over the shelf.