Challenges with Flow Patterns & Velocity
Coastal waters and estuaries, as well as rivers and dams, are environments with significant impact on the regional economic and recreation activities as well as bio-diversity. These systems can have a great range of shore-ocean and river-ocean interactions. Quantitative estimates of water levels, surface velocities and deeper circulation and mixing are needed to assess restorative projects or new infrastructure developments.
Solutions Provided by EEMS
EEMS provides proven tools for simulation of hydrodynamics, including detailed analysis of flow patterns and velocity. These are also full linked to sediment transport and water quality to provide a comprehensive analysis. EFDC+ has been used in hundreds of riverine and coastal circulation models and in conjunction with EE provides you with powerful tools to assess environmental issues and solutions. Features of EFDC+ which assist coastal studies include:
- Internally coupled wind wave module.
- External coupling with any third party wave model.
- Enhanced external coupling with the freely available third-generation wave model,
- Pre-defined harmonic constants that are available for building site specific tide series.
Examples of Studies Done with EEMS
Belleville Locks & Dam Lawsuit
EFDC+ was used to conduct a detailed hydrodynamic modeling study of the Belleville Locks & Dam after several barges were swept away after locking through going up river. The Belleville Locks & Dam is located on the Ohio River between the States of Ohio and West Virginia. The objective of the study was to determine the 2D river velocity patterns during the period leading up to and just past the time of the accident at 9 am on January 6, 2005. The time varying velocity patterns for the areas above and below the dam and locks were determined. These flow patterns were then used by barge navigation experts to determine the possible cause of the accident.
Kodiak Airport Runway Extension
As part of an EIS for Kodiak airport runway safety improvement alternatives, existing coastal circulation patterns were evaluated and impacts due to the new runway extension alternatives assessed. Two EFDC+ hydrodynamic models were created. A larger scale model was developed using data from four ADCP’s that collected data for a 32 day period. The model was calibrated to stage and velocities from the ADCPs. Once the larger scale model was calibrated, a fine scale model for the region around the airport was developed for the detailed assessment of the near shore currents. Impacts of flows and bed shear stresses were compared between the various runway extension alternatives.
Vision City, Danga Bay, Malaysia
EEMS was used to carry out a hydraulic study to assess the impacts to the environment in the project area of the proposed Vision City of the South, Johor. Outputs from the study included before and after project implementation flooding, shoreline water levels, velocity patterns, and sedimentation and scour patterns. Recommendations on mitigation measures to reduce the impact of the proposed project on the environment were also provided.
Other examples:
- San Francisco Bay, California – Sea Level Rise & Water Quality Study
- Sydney Harbor, Australia – Real Time Hydrodynamics Model
- Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta, California – Sediment & Water Quality Model
- Caloosahatchee Estuary, Florida – Total Maximum Daily Load Study
- Perdido Bay, Florida – Total Maximum Daily Load Study
- Kodiak Island, Alaska – Runway Extension Analysis
- Kotzebue Sound, Alaska – Runway Extension Analysis
- Ha Long Bay, Vietnam – Hydrodynamics and Oil Spill Analysis
- Tra Khuc Estuary, Vietnam – Sediment Transport and Morphology Study
- Danga Bay, Malaysia – Sediment Transport for Urban Development
- Port Augusta, Sicily – Toxics Remediation Model
- Portland Harbor, Oregon – Toxics Remediation Analysis
- Newtown Creek, New York – Toxics Remediation Analysis
Download Example EE Models
Download an example model and run with the free EEMS Demo Version.
Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida and covers 730 square miles (1,900 km2). It is a very shallow lake for its size, with an average depth of only 9 feet (3 m). This lake was originally modeled by Kang-Ren Jin, Hamrick and Tisdale in “Application of Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Model for Lake Okeechobee” in the Journal of Hydraulic Engineering (October 2000) and again by Kang-Ren Jin and Zhen-Gang Ji, “Application and Validation of Three-Dimensional Model in a Shallow Lake” in the Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering (September/October 2005 ). This current version simulates temperature and dye.
This example model is a hydrodynamic model of Westlake in Hanoi, Vietnam. This model has wind forcings that may be coupled to the internal Windwave generating functionality of EFDC_Explorer.
