Numerical Modelling of Nonconservative Pollutant Transport in the Coastal Zone

Abstract

At present two ways of simulating the processes of diffusion in marine environment exist, i.e. the solution of semi-empirical equation of pollutant advection-diffusion on Eulerian grid and/or the use of the random-walk method with Lagrangian statistics. The present work is devoted to comparison of the results of these alternative methods exemplified by a simulation of nonconservative pollutant distribution in a bay of the Sea of Japan. Current velocity field was specified on the basis of hydrodynamical modelling of wind-induced currents. Evaluation of turbulent processes’ intensity was based on experimental measurements of currents. Calculations took into account the nonconservative feature of pollutant. It is shown that modelling in Lagrangian terms is preferable for short-term forecasting as it better describes the initial stages of the evolution of pollutant field and concentration fronts.