Análisis de los procesos de renovación de las aguas de la Bahía de Cienfuegos

Abstract

How it exchanges their waters the Bay of Cienfuegos with the Caribbean Sea and which factors determine
the speed of this process it is a poorly approached topic. To determine the distribution of the residence time of the Bay
of Cienfuegos, considering this natural system as a continuous mixing tank reactor, applying the ideal model of perfect
mixture, it is the main goal of this work. Through high-resolution numerical modeling technique, the role of tidal forcing,
the freshwater inputs and the winds on the mass exchange processes of Cienfuegos Bay with Caribbean Sea are
determine. Three characteristics of the renovation process of the waters are definite: the residence time, the flushing
lag and the local residence time. The spatial distributions of flushing lag and of the local residence time revealed the
differences in the self-cleaning capacity of both lobes of the bay, the existence of areas of slow movement, the seasonal
character of these characteristics and strong vertical gradients of the residence time that overcome the 10 d between
the bottom and the surface in some areas of the bay. It is concludes that the Bay of Cienfuegos is a system of slow
exchange with residence time that reach up to 60 d, being vital the necessity to strengthen actions of environmental
administration that reduce the polluting loads to this ecosystem.