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Persistent URL http://purl.org/net/epubs/work/34603
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Record Id 34603
Title Analytical modeling of pollution flushing in well-mixed tidal embayments
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Abstract In recent years there has been a gradual trend towards the development and application of ever more sophisticated multi-dimensional models for solving the hydrodynamic and species transport equations which govern the flushing of pollution. However, advanced numerical modelling techniques can sometimes be augmented by alternative mathematical approaches which use simplified analytical solutions to predict the dispersion of contaminant. In the present article, two analytical models are described for estimating the concentration of a dissolved conservative constituent within a semi-enclosed tidal basin. The models relate the water quality response of the embayment to the external forcing effects of the tide and freshwater inflow, and to the anthropogenic stresses caused by the discharge of pollution. Both models are based upon a “tidal prism” or “zero-dimensional” approach and use an analytical method to predict the temporal variations in pollutant concentration. The first model considers the scenario where the tidal embayment is subjected to an instantaneous release of contaminant, such as a sudden chemical spillage, whilst the second considers the situation where the embayment is subjected to a continuous release of pollution. The analytical approach offers a viable and computationally inexpensive alternative to conventional multi-dimensional pollutant transport simulations and more importantly provides an increased understanding of the flushing characteristics of tidal basins. To demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed tidal prism model, the analytical water quality predictions are compared against experimental pollution data from a 1:400 scale laboratory model of a generic square harbour. The results indicate that the analytical approach provides a simple yet robust method for determining the water quality response of well-mixed tidal embayments.
Organisation CCLRC , CSE , CSE-CEG
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Language English (EN)
Type Details URI(s) Local file(s) Year
Book Chapter or Section In Advances in Coastal Modeling. Elsevier Oceanography Series Vol.67 edited by V C Lakhan, chapter 17, 467-489. Elsevier Science B.V., 2003. 2003