Influence of Physical Forcing on Bottom-Water Dissolved Oxygen within Caloosahatchee River Estuary, Florida

Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code, a numerical estuarine and coastal ocean circulation hydrodynamic and eutrophication model, was used to simulate the distributions of dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, water temperature, and nutrients in the Caloosahatchee River Estuary. Modeled DO, salinity, and water temperature were in good agreement with field observational data from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and South Florida Water Management District. Sensitivity analyses identified the effects of river discharge, atmospheric winds, and tidal forcing on the spatial and temporal distributions of DO. Simulation results indicated that vertical mixing due to wind forcing increased the bottom DO concentration. River discharge enhanced stratification in deep locations but propagated vertical mixing in the shallow upper estuary. Finally, tidal forcing heavily influenced bottom layer DO concentrations throughout the whole river estuary.     

Modeling Salt Water Intrusion in Tanshui River Estuarine System—Case-Study Contrasting Now and Then

A vertical (laterally integrated) two-dimensional numerical model was applied to study the salt water intrusion in the Tanshui River estuarine system, Taiwan. The river system has experienced dramatic changes in the past half century because of human intervention. The construction of two reservoirs and water diversion in the upper reaches of the river system significantly reduces the freshwater inflow. The land subsidence within the Taipei basin and the enlargement of the river constriction at Kuan-Du have lowered the river bed. Both changes have contributed farther to the intrusion of tidal flow and salt water in the upstream direction. The model was reverified with the earliest available hydrographic data measured in 1977. The overall performance of the model is in reasonable agreement with the field data. The model was then used to investigate the change in salt water intrusion as a result of reservoir construction and bathymetric changes in the river system. The model simulation study reveals that significant salinity increases have resulted from the combined changes. It has been speculated by ecological researchers that the long-term increase in salinity might be the driving force altering the aquatic ecosystem structure in the lower reach of the estuary and the Kuan-Du mangrove swamp, particularly the enlargement of the mangrove area and the disappearance of freshwater marshes. However, concrete proof has not been available since no prototype salinity data were available prior to the reservoir construction. This case study offers the first quantitative estimate of the salinity changes due to human interference in this natural system.     

Eutrophication Model for the Patuxent Estuary: Advances in Predictive Capabilities

A robust eutrophication and sediment diagenesis model has been developed for the Patuxent Estuary to study the impact of different nutrient loadings on phytoplankton biomass and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. The modeling approach was to begin with an existing water quality model (CE-QUAL-W2) for the Patuxent Estuary (hereafter referred to as the Estuary). First, formulations for the water column kinetics were completely replaced with routines based on the WASP/EUTRO5 water quality model. Then, a sediment diagenesis component was added to simulate the accumulation and mineralization of organic matter in the sediment, the generation of sediment oxygen demand, and the flux of phosphate and ammonia from the sediment. Loadings from the tributaries for nutrients and flow were based on a combination of watershed modeling and sampling by scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. The new model was able to reproduce the ambient water quality data from 1997 to 1999 by adequately simulating the high concentrations of phytoplankton and low DO levels in the Estuary. The model was then used to evaluate the response to various hypothetical nutrient loading scenarios. Model results show that phytoplankton growth in the upper Estuary is much more sensitive to nutrient loading from tributaries than in the lower estuary. Further, model results indicate that DO concentrations in the lower Estuary are largely influenced by levels of nutrients and organic carbon at the mouth of the Estuary.     

Integrated Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Modeling System to Support Nutrient Total Maximum Daily Load Development for Wissahickon Creek, Pennsylvania

This paper presents a hydrodynamic and water quality modeling system for Wissahickon Creek, Pa. Past data show that high nutrient levels in Wissahickon Creek were linked to large diurnal fluctuations in oxygen concentration, which combining with the deoxygenation effect of carbonaceous biological oxygen demand (CBOD) causes violations of dissolved oxygen (DO) standards. To obtain quantitative knowledge about the cause of the DO impairment, an integrated modeling system was developed based on a linked environmental fluid dynamics code (EFDC) and water quality simulation program for eutrophication (WASP/EUTRO5) modeling framework. The EFDC was used to simulate hydrodynamic and temperature in the stream, and the resulting flow information were incorporated into the WASP/EUTRO5 to simulate the fate and transport of nutrients, CBOD, algae, and DO. The standard WASP/EUTRO5 model was enhanced to include a periphyton dynamics module and a diurnal DO simulation module to better represent the prototype. The integrated modeling framework was applied to simulate the creek for a low flow period when monitoring data are available, and the results indicate that the model is a reasonable numerical representation of the prototype.     

Jackson River Modeling: 50‐Year Perspective

The development of water quality models, and also the nature of water quality impairment, is uniquely presented in the point source dissolved oxygen (DO) modeling completed in the Jackson River (Virginia) over the past 50?years. Various water quality modeling studies have been completed in the Jackson River over the years starting with the earliest of modeling frameworks, the Streeter–Phelps equation (1950s and 1960s); progressing to a biochemical oxygen demand–DO model (1970s and 1990s) including diurnal photosynthetic effects (DIURNAL); a Monte Carlo DO analysis using the DIURNAL model (1990s); to the most recent modeling that is currently developing a periphyton model to assess the impact of nutrient loadings on the periphyton community and ultimately DO levels (2000). These early modeling studies were completed by such modeling forefathers as Clarence J. Velz and Donald J. O'Connor, both completing their work at academic institutions (Manhattan College and the University of Michigan) and private consulting firms (Hydroscience and HydroQual, Inc.). Interesting to note is that Earle B. Phelps taught Clarence J. Velz, Donald J. O’Connor’s eventual professor at Manhattan College. Other work completed on the river by early environmental engineers included reaeration studies by Ernest C. Tsivoglou (1966) and the first activated sludge wastewater treatment design for a pulp and paper mill by Wesley Eckenfelder (1950s). The studies investigated: how to improve existing DO conditions in the river; the effects of color reductions on diurnal DO swings; proposed upstream flow regulation effects on water quality and river temperature; and the impact of instream oxygen addition.     

Development of Refined BOD and DO Models for Highly Polluted Kali River in India

Most commonly used river water quality models for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and dissolved oxygen (DO) simulations are mainly based on advection, decay, settling, and loading functions. Using these concepts, refined river water quality models for BOD and DO simulations are developed in the present work considering a large number of physically based parameters and input variables. The refined models developed can be transformed to some of the commonly used river water quality models, if physically based parameters and input variables are omitted or removed. To test the applicability of the refined models developed and commonly used models, a total of 732 water quality and flow data sets are collected during March 1999–February 2000 from 22 sampling stations of the River Kali in India. River Kali is a highly polluted river in India and receives continuous inflow of untreated point source pollution from municipal and industrial wastes and nonpoint source pollution from agricultural areas. Newton–Raphson technique is used to optimize the model parameters during calibration and the performance of different models are evaluated using error estimation, viz. standard error and mean multiplicative error, and correlation statistics (r2). The results indicate that the BOD–DO models proposed by Camp in 1963 provide better results in comparison to other commonly used models. Moreover, the refined models developed for BOD and DO simulations minimize error estimates and improve correlation between observed and computed BOD and DO values of River Kali.     

Robotic Monitoring to Assess Impacts of Zebra Mussels and Assimilative Capacity for a River

Water quality impacts of zebra mussel metabolism over an infested 15?km reach of the Seneca River, N.Y., are documented, based on vertically and temporally detailed robotic monitoring at the reach boundaries during the summer through early fall intervals of 2?years. Substantial reductions over the study reach are documented for dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, fluorometric chlorophyll a, and turbidity, associated with the metabolism of this invader. Violations of New York State water quality standards for DO that would not be resolved by traditional manual monitoring programs were observed. The loss of assimilative capacity caused by the zebra mussel invasion is confounding rehabilitation efforts for a downstream polluted lake that had considered diversion of municipal effluent to the river. The critical role robotic monitoring units would play in an automated control system for an innovative strategy of time-variable river discharge of the effluent is described. Near-real time robotic monitoring provides a more detailed understanding of the impacts of zebra mussels on water quality than traditional less intensive manual measurements.     

Parameter Sensitivity and Predictive Uncertainty in a New Water Quality Model, Q2

A new dynamic model of water quality, Q2, has recently been developed, capable of simulating large branched river systems. This paper describes the application of a generalized sensitivity analysis (GSA) to Q2 for single reaches of the River Thames in southern England. Focusing on the simulation of dissolved oxygen (DO) (since this may be regarded as a proxy for the overall health of a river); the GSA is used to identify key parameters controlling model behavior and provide a probabilistic procedure for model calibration. It is shown that, in the River Thames at least, it is more important to obtain high quality forcing functions than to obtain improved parameter estimates once approximate values have been estimated. Furthermore, there is a need to ensure reasonable simulation of a range of water quality determinands, since a focus only on DO increases predictive uncertainty in the DO simulations. The Q2 model has been applied here to the River Thames, but it has a broad utility for evaluating other systems in Europe and around the world.     

Thin-Layer Gravity Current with Implications for Desalination Brine Disposal

Measurements of stratification and dissolved oxygen (DO) illustrate a hypersaline gravity current with salt loads similar to a desalination plant brine discharge. Over a 48-h sampling period in August 2005, alternating cycles of high- and low-temperature hypersaline water were observed along the bottom of Corpus Christi Bay in Texas, coincident with low benthic DO and tidal flushing from an adjacent smaller bay. The gravity current underflow was typically less than 10% of the overall water depth. Strong salinity gradients prevented wind-mixing of the entire water column. Hypoxic and near-hypoxic conditions were associated with limited DO replenishment from the ambient water. High DO levels in the underflow source water did not deter the development of offshore benthic hypoxia. A quasi-Lagrangian analysis is used to evaluate the relationship between ambient mixing and lateral mixing within the underflow. The analysis is further applied to estimating DO demand rates in the hypersaline plume. Mixing between the ambient water and the underflow predominately occurs over the sloping bay boundary. Once the gravity current reaches the flatter section of the bay, mixing is substantially reduced and DO is progressively depleted at the bottom. The transit time of the underflow (i.e., residence time or isolation time for water near the bottom) and wind-mixing energy appear to be key factors governing stratification persistence and potential hypoxia development. The observations and analyses provide insight into possible fate, impacts, and open questions associated with similarly scaled salt loadings from a desalination plant into a shallow bay.     

River Dissolved Oxygen Model with Zebra Mussel Oxygen Demand (ZOD)

The development, calibration, and application of a dynamic two-dimensional mass balance model for dissolved oxygen (DO) for rivers are documented for the first time accommodating the oxygen demand associated with zebra mussels. The test system is a short (2.3 km) phytoplankton-rich section of the Seneca River, N.Y., which is believed to represent an upper bound of the impact of this exotic invader on oxygen resources because of the unusually high population densities and limited turbulent mixing that prevail. Model calibration is supported by comprehensive measurements of DO, which resolve diurnal and seasonal patterns, and various forcing conditions over a four-month period. Wide temporal variations in the areal consumption rate of DO by zebra mussels [zebra mussel oxygen demand (ZOD), g?m?2?day?1] were determined through model calibration. These determinations are supported by closure with earlier estimates based on simple DO budget calculations, and with laboratory biomass-specific oxygen consumption rates published in the scientific literature. Values of ZOD at times (e.g., >50 g?m?2?day?1) were an order of magnitude greater than the sediment oxygen demand associated with organically enriched deposits. The model performs well in simulating important features of the complex patterns of DO observed, including (1) DO depletion across the study section; (2) vertical DO stratification; and (3) diurnal changes. ZOD was the dominant sink for DO over the river study section; it was entirely responsible for the substantial observed DO depletion, and it was the major cause of the DO stratification during periods of low flow. A preliminary extension of the model is demonstrated to be successful in simulating the persistence of DO depletion 15 km downstream. The model is expected to have management utility for this and other phytoplankton-rich rivers that have been, or will be, invaded by zebra mussels.     

Dual Discharge Approach to Accessing Assimilative Capacity: Probabilistic Analysis and Management Application

A dual discharge strategy has been proposed for management of the effluent from the Syracuse Metropolitan Treatment Plant (Metro). The approach involves routing the discharge to the Seneca River when assimilative capacity is available there and to Onondaga Lake when it is not. Application of a deterministic modeling approach has demonstrated that the dual discharge strategy is effective in meeting water-quality standards/goals in both the river [dissolved oxygen (DO)] and the lake [total phosphorus (TP)] under summer average conditions of river flow and upstream boundary condition DO. Here, that analysis is extended to include a probabilistic treatment of the impact of natural variability in river flow and DO boundary conditions on the feasibility of this management option. Model simulations, incorporating these key sources of system variability, indicate that the dual discharge strategy will meet the lake management goal for TP ～ 94% of the time, with no attendant violation of river DO standards. Excursions from the lake TP goal, occurring ～ 6% of the time, range from 1–5?μg?L?1, are within the range of uncertainty in indicators applied in identifying trophic status. This novel management option is compared with an in-lake discharge alternative in terms of technical and economic feasibility and public acceptance of resultant water quality. Additional management actions, recommended to accompany implementation of the dual discharge strategy, are discussed.     

Dissolved Oxygen Demand at the Sediment-Water Interface of a Stream: Near-Bed Turbulence and Pore Water Flow Effects

A microbial dissolved oxygen (DO) uptake model was developed for a stream bed, including the effect of turbulence in the flow over the bed and pore water flow in the porous bed. The fine-grained sediment bed has hydraulic conductivities 0.01 ≤ k ≤ 1??cm/s, i.e., sediment particle diameter 0.006 ≤ ds ≤ 0.06??cm. The pore water flow is driven by pressure fluctuations at the sediment-water interface, mostly attributable to near-bed coherent motions in the turbulent boundary layer above the sediment bed. An effective mass transfer coefficient (De) coupled to a pore water flow model was used in the DO transport and DO uptake model. DO flux across the sediment-water interface and into the sediment, i.e., sedimentary oxygen demand (SOD), was related to hydraulic conductivity and microbial oxygen uptake rate in the sediment and shear velocity at the sediment-water interface. Simulated SOD values were validated against experimental data. For hydraulic conductivities of the sediment bed up to k ≈ 0.01??cm/s, the pore water flow effect on SOD was found negligible. Above this threshold, the effective mass (DO) transfer coefficient in the sediment bed (De) becomes larger as the hydraulic conductivity (k) becomes larger as the interstitial flow velocities increase; consequently, DO penetration depth increases with larger hydraulic conductivity of the sediment bed (k), and SOD increases as well. The enhancement of vertical DO transport into the sediment bed is strongest near the sediment-water interface, and rapidly diminishes with depth into the sediment layer. An increase in shear velocity at the sediment-water interface also enhances DO transfer. Shear velocity increases at the sediment-water interface will raise SOD regardless of the maximum oxidation rate if the hydraulic conductivity is above the threshold of k ≈ 1??cm/s. The relationship is nearly linear when U*<0.8??cm/s. At shear velocity U* = 1.6??cm/s, SOD for oxidation rates μ = 1000 and 2000??mg?l-1?d-1 are almost five times larger than those with no pore water flow. When pore water transport of DO is not limiting, SOD is a linear function of oxygen demand rate μ in the sediment when 0 ≤ μ ≤ 200??mg?l-1?d-1.     

Hydrodynamics of Mesotidal Estuary in Winter

In this article, we quantify the effects of a standing ice cover on the hydrodynamics of a mesotidal estuary. The Portneuf Estuary, Québec, is 5.9?km in length and has a 3-m-deep thalweg. According to our numerical model simulations (using an adapted version of Environment Canada’s ONE-D model) and field measurements, the midwinter 50-cm-thick ice cover produced an attenuation of the neap tidal range (1.9?m) and spring tidal range (4.0?m) of 17 and 37%, respectively, near the upstream end of the estuary. The arrival of low water was also delayed by about 90?min at this location. At the mouth, the cover attenuated peak ebb tide flow (200?m3/s) and flood tide flow (500?m3/s) by approximately 18 and 13%, respectively. Here the peak flood flow was normally delayed by 41?min, while the ebb tide was usually advanced by 8?min. In general, the ice cover attenuated peak velocities by 12 to 20%, although at certain times and locations the ice cover could induce higher velocities than would be present under open water conditions. The ice cover also retarded and diminished the salt wedge intrusion and is expected to dramatically reduce the sediment transport processes, although its presence could cause some sporadic local increases in erosion.     

Numerical Simulation of Flushing of Trapped Salt Water from a Bar-Blocked Estuary

Results of a numerical simulation investigating the complicated flushing process of an isolated trapped volume of salt water from a bar-blocked estuary are presented. A multiphase model, a part of the commercial code FLUENT 6.2, is applied. The governing equations together with initial and boundary conditions and the numerical scheme are described. The time-dependent salt-wedge position, vertical-density distribution, and proportion of total input kinetic energy converted into potential energy are examined for various incoming flow densimetric Froude number and estuary bed slope. The vertical position and thickness of the interfacial mixed layer between freshwater and salt water as well as the local gradient Richardson number are determined from simulated density profiles and velocity fields. The good agreement between the simulated and measured results indicates that the numerical model can be successfully applied to investigate the complex flushing process involving stratified flow.     

南京生态科技岛海绵城市河道系统植物技术设施对水体重金属及营养盐净化能力评价

为探究海绵城市植物技术设施对重金属及营养盐净化能力,以江心洲南京生态科技岛河道系统为研究对象,对其上下游水体中重金属及营养盐含量进行分析,通过综合污染指数法对上下游重金属风险进行评估,采用冗余分析及Spearman相关系数探究水体环境因素对重金属含量的影响,利用河道区域四种植物技术设施(河岸缓冲带、植被过滤带、生态浮岛、台地式石笼护岸)探究不同植物组合对水体中污染物的净化能力。结果显示,江心洲河道上游重金属的枯水期、丰水期及平水期WQI值分别为1.85、1.74及2.90,分别对应为重金属轻度污染、轻度污染及中度污染。而河道下游重金属的枯水期、丰水期及平水期的WQI值分别为0.18、0.30及0.52,均未存在污染现象。河道上游水体中pH是影响重金属含量的最重要因素,pH与溶解氧(DO)、总氮(TN)、五日化学需氧量(COD₅)及总磷(TP)呈正相关。河道下游水体的pH也是影响水中重金属含量最重要的环境因素,其与溶解氧(DO)呈显著正相关。水体中营养盐净化能力大小为河岸缓冲带>植被过滤带>生态浮岛>台地式石笼护岸。相比其它植物组合,乔灌木群落栽植对水体中营养盐净化最具有潜力。     

Case Study: Particle Velocimetry in a Model of Lake Ogallala

In a case study of Lake Ogallala, a reservoir in central Nebraska, large scale particle tracking velocimetry (LSPTV) is used to measure surface velocities in a physical model of the lake. Knowledge of flow patterns in the lake is essential for predicting the transport of dissolved oxygen (DO). A preliminary comparison with acoustic Doppler velocimetery (ADV) measurements shows that both LSPTV and large scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) accurately measure surface velocities. In the present study, LSPTV works better near flow boundaries and in regions with high velocity gradients since smaller sampling areas are possible, and unlike LSPIV measurements, LSPTV measurements are unbiased. Discharges measured at eight different transects using LSPTV were within 6% of the discharge measured with an orifice, the worst correlation occurring where the bathymetry was slightly nonuniform (making application of the 1/7-power law suspect). In the prototype, DO content periodically drops to unacceptable levels throughout most of the Keystone Basin (a subbasin of Lake Ogallala). Predicted flow patterns suggest that low DO problems are exacerbated in regions with low velocities since oxygen consumed by macrophytes during nighttime hours is not quickly replenished.     

Diffusional Mass Transfer at Sediment–Water Interface of Cylindrical Sediment Oxygen Demand Chamber

Diffusional mass transfer of dissolved substances across the sediment–water interface in coastal waters is an important factor for realistic determination of sediment oxygen demand (SOD) and nutrient recycle. The benthic diffusive boundary layer inside a cylindrical chamber commonly deployed for in situ measurements of sediment oxygen demand is studied. In a series of laboratory experiments, the SOD is measured with the chamber operated in both continuous flow and batch modes, and a microelectrode is employed to measure the near bed dissolved oxygen (DO) profile for different chamber flows and sediment types. The dependence of the diffusive boundary layer thickness and the sediment–water mass transfer coefficient on the hydraulic parameters are quantified. Using the derived mass transfer coefficient, it is shown that for a given sediment type, the SOD is a function of the bulk DO concentration and chamber flowrate. The theoretical predictions are validated by both laboratory and field SOD data.     

Minimizing the Ecological Risk of Combined-Sewer Overflows in an Urban River System by a System-Based Approach

As urban and suburban areas expand, the problem of sewage disposal spreads as well. Inappropriate planning of a sewage management system could impair water quality, destroy habitat, and threaten public health. Simply building a sewage interceptor system along the urban river corridor to handle the wastewater effluents without regard to the impacts from combined-sewer overflows (CSOs) in the storm events cannot fulfill the ultimate goal of environmental restoration in the receiving water body. This study therefore carries out a system-based assessment to search for the optimal operating strategy of the interceptor facilities with respect to biocomplexity or biodiversity in an urban river system. In particular, it focuses on the richness of the fish community in the biological systems, the effect of stress on the fish community by storm events, and their capacity for adaptive behavior in response to the CSOs’ impact in the Love River estuarine system, South Taiwan. By integrating the biological indicators in an environmental context, two simulation models describing the quality and quantity of storm water and their impact on the river water quality are calibrated and verified. The interactions of natural systems and engineered systems covering both spatial and temporal aspects can then be explored in terms of the predicted levels of dissoved oxygen (DO) along the river reaches so as to strengthen an ultimate optimal search for the best operational alternative for the interceptor system. In view of the inherent complexity of integrating simulation outputs at various scales to aid in building the optimization step, three regression submodels were derived beforehand. These submodels present a high potential for exhibiting, eliciting, and summarizing the nonlinear behavior between the CSO impacts and the DO levels in the river reaches. With the aid of such findings, this study finally applies a linear programming model to determine the optimal size of a constructed storage pond (i.e., a detention pond), based on several types of storm events in the study area. This is proved essential for minimizing the ecological risk in such a way so as to indirectly improve the biodiversity in the estuarine river system.     

Optimal Wasteload Allocation Procedure for Achieving Dissolved Oxygen Water Quality Objectives. II: Optimal Load Control

This paper presents the development of an efficient strategy for achieving in-stream dissolved oxygen (DO) water quality standards (WQSs) via optimized point-load control strategies using the adjoint method. To this end, a least-squares-type objective function is formulated that measures the difference between desired (WQSs) and current DO concentrations at strategically selected monitoring points in the domain. The goal is to minimize the difference between actual DO concentration and the WQS, hence allowing time-variant loadings to utilize the assimilative capacity of the receiving water body at an optimal level. Time-variant discharge rates for a number of discharge locations are considered as control parameters, while different zone-specific critical DO levels are imposed as constraints. The selection of the control is kept flexible and a number of different scenarios are tested. First, only carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand is used, which allows for a reduction of the number of equations that need to be solved. In the other tests, all constituents are switched on and different variables at each load node are selected as a control by first varying the concentrations individually, and then linking them through control of the volumetric flow rate. Optimization is achieved using a conjugate gradient search method, for which the gradients are computed through the solution of both the direct and adjoint problems. It is shown that the large amount of gradient information (parameter space has a dimension of several thousands) can be computed very efficiently using the adjoint, and that optimized results are achieved after only a few iterations irrespective of the initial guess. Computations are carried out using both two-dimensional model formulation applied to a long rectangular channel with varying width and slope and a model for the upper Potomac River estuary.     

Air–Water Mass Transfer on a Stepped Waterway

Stepped waterways are commonly used as river training, debris dam structures, storm water systems, and aeration cascades. The present study was focused on analysis of basic air–water flow properties on a low gradient stepped chute, combined with dissolved oxygen measurements. The oxygen aeration efficiency was found to be about 30% for 12 steps with a total drop in invert elevation of 1.4?m, nearly independently of the inflow conditions. Detailed air–water flow measurements, including void fraction, velocity, bubble count rate, and interface area, were used to integrate the mass transfer equation and to estimate the aeration potential of the waterway. Direct comparisons with dissolved oxygen measurements showed good agreement between the two methods.