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Systems analysis of the Panama Canal water supply
Author(s) -
Lewis David C.,
Beard Leo R.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr008i003p00769
Subject(s) - panama canal , surface runoff , water supply , streamflow , revenue , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , water resource management , computer science , civil engineering , operations research , engineering , environmental engineering , geography , geotechnical engineering , business , drainage basin , cartography , ecology , accounting , biology
An objective function employing the economic evaluation of the simulated operation of the Panama Canal was used to evaluate the existing and potential supplemental water supplies at ever increasing levels of shipping. The simulated operation of the canal was based on the assumption of a repeat of historical runoff to determine the ‘optimal’ operation (to obtain the maximum revenue minus the costs of supplemental water) for existing and deeper channels through Gaillard Cut. The computer model of canal operation and the use of reservoir rule curves to provide operational criteria are presented. The use of simulated runoff to investigate canal operation under other synthetic chronological streamflow traces with the same statistical characteristics as those of the historical sequence are discussed.