2-D Marine Modelling Case Studies
Westlakes Scientific Consulting has extensve experience of 2-D hydro-dynamic models for investigation of the dispersion of pollutants in the vicinity of marine outfalls in complex settings .
Examples of WSC work:
Solway Firth
Although the Solway Firth is a large estuary (it is about the same size as the Thames estuary), it is one of the least industrialised stretches of enclosed water south of Scotland's central belt. This is partly because it is a very difficult place to navigate, with a high tidal range, strong tidal currents and extensive tidal flats. These difficulties also apply to numerical models. Nevertheless, with the co-operation of local industry and regulators, WSC has produced a 2-D drying banks model of the Firth, which is available to assist customers in future management decisions.
Teeside
In contrast to the Solway Firth, Teeside has a large population and the Tees Estuary is one of the most heavily industrialised regions of the UK. The middle reaches of the estuary have been dredged out and, at the estuary mouth, it opens out onto tidal mud and sand flats. The estuary is partially stratified and a plume of brackish water is produced offshore on the ebb tide. Pollutants from the estuary are generally associated with this plume, and its movement has important consequences for the subsequent dispersion of contaminants from the estuary. WSC has constrted a 2-D model of the Tees coast on a 100m grid which has been used to simulate the flow patterns in the estuary along with the dilution, dispersion and interaction of the numerous point discharges along its length.
Cumbrian Coast
The West Cumbrian coast has a large tidal range, relatively small currents and a mix of industrial and domestic discharges. A 2-D modelling investigation into the bacterial levels resulting from the interaction of outfalls was used to identify the main source of bacteria along the foreshore.
Narrow Estuarine models
Estuaries can be very difficult places to model with large tidal ranges, freshwater driven density circulation and high sediment loads. Over the years WSC has developed extensive experience of the Ribble Estuary in Lancashire using narrow estuary models that aim to integrate some of this complexity.
Estuarine Eco-system Model
WSC used an estuarine eco-system model to assess the environmental and public health implications of dredging operations in the Ribble, which demonstrated, both for industry and the general public, that these operations will have no adverse affect.
VERSE
WSC has devoped VERSE, a vertically stratified 2-D model of the Ribble and its tributary the Douglas, which will predict the dispersion of pollutants through the combined pathways of the water and suspended sediment. The model can 'store' pollutants in the seabed, and this can result in a significant increase in the time it takes for them to flush from the estuary. The first application of VERSE was to predict the dispersion of radionuclides in the Ribble.