When Coriolis Matters: Defining Ranges for Lake Upwelling With a New Conceptual Model

Historically, two conceptual models for upwelling in stratified lakes have been used. These are the non‐rotational (2D closed basin model) and the coastal model. The former describes upwelling in small and moderate‐sized lakes, and the latter describes upwelling in the coastal ocean and large lakes. To date, there has been no systematic analysis of the validity ranges of either conceptual model or intermediate regimes in which rotational effects are relevant but moderate. In addition, the explicit use of the Burger number has been limited to the relaxation phase. We analyzed 300 numerical simulations of stratified circular and square basins as analogs of natural systems to assess Coriolis influence and determine whether upwelling approximates either the non‐rotational or coastal upwelling model, or a third quasi‐rotational model for basins that exhibit partial rotational effects. We classify the lake response by the angle of surface velocity to wind, the shore on which upwelling is active, and the angle of the surface temperature gradient to the wind. We extend the use of as a predictor of the rotational influence during upwelling in lakes, which indicates that coastal upwelling is expected for basins with , and non‐rotational dynamics are expected for basins with . Finally, basins with exhibited flow and temperature patterns characterized by a quasi‐rotational conceptual model. Future research may further explore the applicability of S as a scaling for Coriolis effects during lake upwelling by including a broader range of basin shapes, varying depths, and irregular shorelines.