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Visualization of the salinity plume from a coastal ocean water desalination plant
Author(s) -
Helly John J.,
Herbinson Kevin T.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/wer.66.5.12
Subject(s) - plume , desalination , effluent , salinity , submarine pipeline , seawater , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , panache , oceanography , geology , environmental engineering , meteorology , geotechnical engineering , geography , chemistry , biochemistry , membrane
A salinity plume, with a maximum of 35.3 parts per thousand (ppt), was detected adjacent to the effluent source of a desalination plant on Santa Catalina Island, Los Angeles County, Calif., a 3% increase relative to the maximum of the control area. Four methods of visualizing these data were used to identify and describe the plume and one, volumetric visualization, was superior. This method revealed a surface and subsurface distribution of the effluent that is affected by tide and wave action. The plume is transported offshore and alongshore with a tidally‐related separation of the diluted effluent into upcoast and downcoast parts with probable wave‐related transport offshore.