Willem Botes: WAMTechnology cc www.wamsys.co.za A Milnerton Estuary Study (Diep River), during 2004 was used as an example. ‘Click’ to continue A demonstration of estuary mouth dynamics, estuary hydrodynamics and the concepts of numerical modelling applied to an estuary with a simple geometry.
A demonstration of estuary mouth dynamics, estuary hydrodynamics and the concepts of numerical modelling applied to an estuary with a simple geometry. A Milnerton Estuary Study (Diep River), during 2004 was used as an example. ‘Click’ to continue. www.wamsys.co.za. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Willem Botes: WAMTechnology ccwww.wamsys.co.za
A Milnerton Estuary Study (Diep River), during 2004 was used as an example.
‘Click’ to continue
A demonstration of estuary mouth dynamics, estuary hydrodynamics and the concepts of numerical modelling applied to an estuary with a simple
The inlet of the Milnerton estuary consists of a meandering channel, varying during river floods and extreme tidal events.
The flow (velocity) in the inlet is a function of the water levels in the estuary and in the sea with external inflows (river flows) superimposed on it. When the estuary mouth closes, the mouth disappears and a ‘bar’ is formed (highest level of the sand bar is the sill).
Littoral TransportThe process of sediment moving along a coastline. This process has two components: LONGSHORE TRANSPORT and ONSHORE OFFSHORE TRANSPORT.
Longshore TransportThe transport of sediment in water parallel to the shoreline.
Onshore-Offshore TransportThe up and down movement of sediment roughly perpendicular to a shoreline because of wave action
The exchange of water in an estuary, is generally referred to as the term Tidal Prism:
Volume of water that flows into a tidal channel and out again during a complete tide, excluding any upland discharges
The volume of water present between mean low and mean high tide.
O’Brien (1931) provided a relationship between the Tidal Prism and the cross-sectional area of the inlet (using data from numerous estuaries), which provide a ‘ball-park’ answer to the stability/non-stability of an estuary inlet.
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Milnerton estuary …….
The hydrodynamic flushing of the estuary ….
O’Brien (1936): Tidal Prism vs cross-sectional area data …….
Ref: USACE(2002)O'Briens Tidal Prism-inlet area relationship
1E+0 1E+1 1E+2 1E+3 1E+4 1E+51E+5
1E+6
1E+7
1E+8
1E+9
1E+10
Inlet cross-sectional area (sq.m)
Tidal prism (cub.m)
> 90% of stable tidal inlets
Milnerton
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The functioning of an estuary …….
The saline conditions in Milnerton estuary ….
Historically, the Milnerton estuary was closed during dry summer months and open during the wet winter months, resulting in hyper saline conditions during the summer months and a gradual decreasing salinity profile from the mouth to the Otto du Plessis bridge during the wet winter period.
1974 (Grindley, et.al., 1974)
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,0000
20
40
60
80
100
Distance from mouth (m)
Salinity (ppt)
Winter (Open mouth) Summer (Closed mouth)
Average sea salinity
Summer conditions (Closed mouth)
Winter conditions (Open mouth)
On 28 May 2004 a typical ‘historical’ winter condition was measured when the Diep River flow was > 3 cumec together with other inflows (eg. from WWTW’s)
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The response of an estuary during tidal variations
Consider a length section and an inflowing tide
Gravity induced flows into the estuary due to water level differences
Mixing of saline sea water with fresh water in the estuary takes place
For a relative narrow estuary, the velocity and acceleration components in the transverse and vertical directions will be insignificant, compared to the components in longitudinal section, and the motion of the flow can be assumed as 1-dimensional.
The hydrodynamic equation for motion at time t, choosing the x-axis in the upstream direction is:
h/ x = 1/gA Q/ t - |Q|Q/(C2.A2.R) + 2bQ/(gA2). h/ t + Wx/(gR)
The differential equations ( h/ x = ….. And Q/ x = …..) can be transformed to finite difference equations for numerical computations by replacing the differential quotients by finite difference quotients, for example ……..
h/ x = (hx+x – hx)/x at time t
and …
h/ t = (ht+Dt – ht)/t at distance x
According to the following forward difference approach …..
Thus, replacing all differential components by difference quotients in terms of a horizontal distance interval (x) and a time interval (t), finite difference equations for momentum and the continuity of flow can be defined, which can be solved numerically by elimination (explicitly) or by iteration (implicitly)…The approach to solve the equation can best be illustrated with a ‘Computational grid’, describing
the spatial (x) and temporal (t) schematization, solving the equations explicitly…. ………. the unknown value of Q and h at a certain time level are calculated, using the known values of Q and h