Keywords
Water quality; Dissolved-oxygen, Numerical modelling; Ice processes; Lower Athabasca River
Location
Session H6: Environmental Fluid Mechanics - Theoretical, Modeling and Experimental Approaches
Start Date
17-6-2014 10:40 AM
End Date
17-6-2014 12:00 PM
Abstract
Dissolved oxygen (DO) content is a critical measure of the ability of water bodies to support healthy aquatic ecosystems. To better understand DO behaviour in large cold-region rivers, a one dimensional water quality model is setup for a -200 km reach of the lower Athabasca River below Fort McMurray, Alberta using the Mike-11 modelling system. A river-ice model is applied to reproduce ice conditions during the cold season so that the effects of ice-cover on the physical/chemical processes in the river system are taken into account. The combined model is used to simulate the transport and transformation of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the river. Modelling results are validated and evaluated using available field measurements. The results of this study gives an insight into the spatial and temporal variation of DO in the lower Athabasca River and provides a better understanding of the important effect of ice cover in the evolution of DO concentration. It can also provide the fundamentals for modelling of different water quality constituent in lower Athabasca River.
Included in
Civil Engineering Commons, Data Storage Systems Commons, Environmental Engineering Commons, Hydraulic Engineering Commons, Other Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons
Numerical modelling of dissolved-oxygen in a cold region river
Session H6: Environmental Fluid Mechanics - Theoretical, Modeling and Experimental Approaches
Dissolved oxygen (DO) content is a critical measure of the ability of water bodies to support healthy aquatic ecosystems. To better understand DO behaviour in large cold-region rivers, a one dimensional water quality model is setup for a -200 km reach of the lower Athabasca River below Fort McMurray, Alberta using the Mike-11 modelling system. A river-ice model is applied to reproduce ice conditions during the cold season so that the effects of ice-cover on the physical/chemical processes in the river system are taken into account. The combined model is used to simulate the transport and transformation of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the river. Modelling results are validated and evaluated using available field measurements. The results of this study gives an insight into the spatial and temporal variation of DO in the lower Athabasca River and provides a better understanding of the important effect of ice cover in the evolution of DO concentration. It can also provide the fundamentals for modelling of different water quality constituent in lower Athabasca River.
