A Lagrangian 3D Numerical Model OfPollutant Dispersion In Coastal Waters

TLDR: In this article, a 3D Lagrangian numerical model has been developed to solve the three-dimensional convectiondiffusion equation in order to simulate pollutant transport in non-uniform and stratified hydrodynamic flows.

Abstract: Two-dimensional numerical models have been extensively used in the far field to solve hydrodynamics and the associated pollutant transport. However the results obtained from these models may not be suitable when used in the near field or in areas where the hydrodynamics has threedimensional features, such as wind-induced currents in the nearshore region or wave-induced currents in the surf zone. A 3D Lagrangian numerical model has been developed to solve the three-dimensional convectiondiffusion equation in order to simulate pollutant transport in non-uniform and stratified hydrodynamic flows. In this paper the model characteristics and its calibration process are described and posteriorly it is applied to the case of the Besos marine outfall, near Barcelona (Spanish Mediterranean coast) and to simulate tracer clouds dispersion in the surf-zone.