Author(s): Xiaobo Chao; Yafei Jia; A. K. M. Azad Hossain
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Numerical model; Sediment transport; Salinity; Satellite imagery; Lake Pontchartrain
Abstract: This paper presents the development and application of a two-dimensional numerical model for simulating the flow circulations, sediment transport and salinity distribution in Lake Pontchartrain during the Bonnet Carre Spillway (BCS) is opened for flood release. The model is a finite element model utilizing a special method based on the collocation approach called the efficient element method. The grid system of the model is a structured conformal mesh generated in the computational domain. The salinity and sediment modules were coupled with hydrodynamic model. The developed model was first verified against analytical solutions, and then applied to simulate the flow, sediment and salinity in Lake Pontchartrain during the recent BCS flood releases in 1997, 2008 and 2011. When the spillway opened for flood release, a large amount of fresh water and sediment discharged from the Mississippi River into Lake Pontchartrain, causing significant increase of lake sediment concentration and decrease of lake salinity. The simulated suspended sediment concentration and salinity in the lake were compared with field measured data and satellite imagery, and good agreements were obtained.
Year: 2013