Successive Approximation Linear Quadratic Regulator for Estuarine Management Problem

A successive approximation linear quadratic regulator (SALQR)method is applied to solve estuarine management problems to determine the optimal amount of freshwater inflows into baysand estuaries to maximize fishery harvests. Fishery harvests areexpressed in regression equations as functions of freshwaterinflows. The optimization problem is posed as a discrete-timeoptimal control problem in which salinity represents the statevariable and freshwater inflow represents the control variable. A two-dimensional hydrodynamic-salinity transport model, HYD-SAL,is used as the transition to simulate the flow circulation andtemporal and spatial salinity pattern in an estuary system. Thebound constraints for the control and state variables areincorporated into the objective function using a penalty functionmethod to convert the problem into an unconstrained formulation. The SALQR method is applied to the Lavaca-Tres Palacios Estuaryin Texas and the results are compared with those of usingregression equations as the transition equations.