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A RATING‐CURVE METHOD FOR HYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS IN CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT MODELING 1
Author(s) -
Gu Ruochuan
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1998.tb04144.x
Subject(s) - rating curve , flow (mathematics) , environmental science , sediment transport , hydrology (agriculture) , flow conditions , sediment , flow velocity , water quality , mechanics , geology , geotechnical engineering , geomorphology , ecology , physics , biology
Accurate prediction of hydrodynamics is of great importance to modeling contaminant transport and water quality in a river. Flow conditions are needed in estimating potential exposure contamination levels and the recovery time for a no‐action alternative in contaminated sediments remediation. Considering highly meandering characteristics of the Buffalo River, New York, a three‐dimensional hydrodynamic model was selected to route upstream flows through the 8‐km river section with limited existing information based on the model's fully predictive capability and process‐oriented feature. The model was employed to simulate changes in water depth and flow velocity with space and time in response to variation in flow rate and/or water surface elevation at boundaries for given bottom morphometry and initial conditions. Flow conditions of the river reach where historical flow data are not available were computed. A rating‐curve approach was developed to meet continuous and event contaminant modeling needs. Rating curves (depth‐discharge and velocity‐discharge relationships) were constructed at selected stations from the 3‐D hydrodynamic simulations of individual flow events. The curves were obtained as steady solutions to an unsteady problem. The rating‐curve approach serves to link flow information provided by the hydrodynamic model to a contaminant transport model. With the approach, the linking problem resulting from incompatible model dimensions and grid sizes can be solved. The curves will be used to simulate sediment movement and to predict contaminant fate and transport in the river.