QUASI-3-DIMENSIONAL REFINED MODELING OF TURBULENT-FLOW AND WATER-QUALITY IN COASTAL WATERS

The water quality in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong is dominated by stron g seasonal effects resulting from the variation in freshwater discharg e into the Pearl Estuary. the quasi-three-dimensional water quality mo del has been developed to simulate the variations in water quality and the ecosystem in the harbour. The model is unique in that it complete ly integrates the refined modelling of the hydrodynamics, biochemical reactions and the ecosystem in the harbour. It is a quasi-three-dimens ional segmented model which is capable of resolving mean daily variati ons in all the parameters relevant to pollution control. It predicts d aily fluctuations in the oxygen content of different depths in water t hroughout the year. It takes into account transport and settling of po llutant particles. It predicts light penetration from computed turbidi ty variations. It includes interactions between the ecosystem and wate r quality, through nutrient cycling and photosynthesis. The model has been calibrated well against the data set of historical water quality observations.