Hydrodynamic-Mass Transfer Model of Deltaic Systems

Abstract

A branching section-mean model has been developed for the simulation of the hydrodynamics and nutrient transport in estuarine deltaic systems, in which the momentum conservation, continuity and mass transfer equations are solved by the method of finite differences. Example executions of the hydrodynamic portion of the model are presented for the Lavaca, Guadalupe and Trinity deltaic systems. Computed water elevations and flows are compared to observations to evaluate model performance for a variety of conditions. The model is shown to obtain satisfactory results for conditions of variable freshwater inflow, such as associated with small-to-moderate floods, and meteorologically influenced tides, e.g., wind-induced setup or setdown, as well as low-flow, astronomical-tide regimes.