NUMERICAL MODELLING OF WAVE-CURRENT INDUCED TURBIDITY MAXIMUM IN THE PEARL RIVER ESTUARY by WANG CHONGHAO B. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Civil and Structural Engineering The Hong Kong Polytechnic University March 2006 UMI Number: 3241090 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted.
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ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 NUMERICAL MODELLING OF WAVE-CURRENT INDUCED TURBIDITY MAXIMUM IN THE PEARL RIVER ESTUARY WANG CHONGHAO Doctor of Philosophy The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 2006 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby declare that this thesis entitled “Numerical Modelling of Wave-Current Induced Turbidity Maximum in the Pearl River Estuary” is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief. It reproduces no material previously published or written, nor material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text. Signed WANG Chonghao Abstract of thesis entitled NUMERICAL MODELLING OF WAVE-CURRENT INDUCED TURBIDITY MAXIMUM IN THE PEARL RIVER ESTUARY Submitted by WANG Chonghao for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University March 2006 ABSTRACT The dissertation describes a study of the hydrodynamics and sediment transport characteristics as well as the formation and development processes of turbidity maximum in the Pearl River Estuary under the interaction of both wave and current through field data analysis and numerical modelling.
Data from a large-scale synchronous hydrographic survey carried out along the main navigational channels are used to study the sediment transport processes in the Pearl River Estuary and subsequently to analyze the formation mechanisms of turbidity maximum. The results show that turbidity maximum widely exists in the Pearl River Estuary and is not only related to the intrusion of salt water, but also to the freshwater runoff from the three western river outlets. Gravitational circulation and tidal trapping are the main causes to form the turbidity maximum in the West Channel. However, turbidity maximum in the East Channel is mainly caused by the sediment resuspension and deposition processes.
Sediment input from the Pearl River outlets and tidal Stokes drift are the important factors for the formation of turbidity maximum. To investigate the horizontal characteristics of hydrodynamics and sediment transport, a depth-integrated 2D model is adopted. The model result is also verified against available measurements in the Pearl River Estuary and good agreement has been obtained. An analysis of computed residual flow shows that the Eulerian component from the non-tidal drift is the dominant one with a maximum velocity of about 0.3 m/s near river outlets, compared with that of the Stokes drift of less than 0.
Model results also show that sediment resuspension plays an important role within tidal cycles due to the surplus sediment-carrying capacity. The sediment concentration in deep channels is smaller than that in the nearby shoals. With the background knowledge obtained from the data analysis and 2D modelling, a 3D hydrodynamics and sediment transport model is developed based on the work by Wai and Lu (1999 and 2000) to model the turbidity maximum in the Pearl River Estuary. The present 3D model has high efficiency and extended applicability through optimizing the old algorithm and taking into account the baroclinic terms in the momentum equations as well as coupling a level 2.5 turbulence closure scheme with the Navier-Stokes equations.
The 3D model is validated comprehensively by comparing the computed tidal level, current, salinity and sediment concentration in a spring tide and a neap tide with available field data and good agreement is obtained. The 3D model is able to capture the formation and development processes of turbidity maximum in the Pearl River Estuary. Model results show turbidity maximum occurs during spring tides and disappears during neap tides with a cruising range of about 22 km over the sand bars in the main channels. The turbidity maximum fully develops when ebbing during a spring tide in the wet season.
Gravitational circulation, tidal pumping and resuspension are the main factors in the formation of turbidity maximum in the wet season. However, local resuspension is the main cause in the dry season. To study the wave effect, a wave propagation model, developed by Chen (2001), is coupled with the present 3D hydrodynamics and sediment model. Applications in the Pearl River Estuary show that the coupled wave-current model can solve combined wave-current problems efficiently.
The computed results show that the island sheltering and shoaling factors significantly influence the propagation of wave into the Pearl River Estuary. Also, the results indicate that the combined wave-current interaction only increases the sediment concentration mainly near the sand bars and in shoals, resulting in a thicker high sediment concentration vertical core in the turbidity maximum without significant modification of the general characteristics of the turbidity maximum including the location and excursion amplitude of the TM. However, the credibility of this result is yet to be verified with field measured data. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis cannot be completed without the valuable advices from my supervisors.
Here, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my supervisors, Prof. Li and Dr. Wai, for their all-round suggestion and guidance to my thesis and for their warmhearted encouragement and support during my Ph. I am deeply impressed with their profound professional knowledge, precise and aggressive attitude to research, as well as their open- mindedness and friendly characters.
I also want to thank Dr. Chen and Dr. Jiang very much for their sharing of modelling experience, and exchange of research idea and achievement. Special thanks are given to The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong Research Grants Council for the funding supports.
Particular thanks are due to Prof. Hu and other colleagues of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydro-power Research, for their supports and the conveniences given to my visa application. Finally, I am truly indebted to my families for their long-time spiritual encouragement and patience. CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i CONTENTS i LIST OF FIGURES M LIST OF TABLES.
xiii LIST OF NOTATIONS xiv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1-1 1.1 Background and moftIVatiOn.2 Objectives of Study cố eee .3 Outlines OfđissertatiOn.---- GSQ SH ng ve 1-4 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2-1 2.1 Review of TM study. -- - HT n* HH0 ng vn re 2-1 2.2 — TM Study In China.3 Formation mechanisms Of TÌM.4 Methodology for TM study. - SA SH hen cee 2-11 VN Ji cố.2 One-dimensional and two-dimensional models.3 Three dimensional models .cccccccccccececccceseeeeessncescaenseceeees 2-13 CHAPTER 3 SEDIMENT DYNAMICS IN THE PEARL RIVER ESTUARY 3-1 3.2 Pearl River ES(Uary. - G G9 nu ng vn 3-1 3.3 Field data ae h.4 Sediment dynamics nh ae .1 Sediment prOC€SS€S.
HH HH HH 8 33x56 3-6 3.2 Locations of turbidity maximum. Tidally averaged sediment transport profiles .4 Net sediment transport flux anaÌyS1S. LH HT ng HE 3-20 3.6 Vertical sediment diffusion modelling. HH nọ th cv 3-25 CHAPTER 4 TWO-DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HYDRODYNAMICS AND MASS TRANSPORT IN THE PEARL RIVER ESTUARY 4-1 AL Introduction.
- sọ TH gu ng v 4-2 4.2 Near bottom sediment exchange.ó- G c c cọ ng ng4-7 4.3 Computational domain and boundary conditions.- on ng KH cà ngư 4-11 4.5 Model vaÌidation.6 Results and đisCUSSIOPS. --- G GQ Q HHHnHnHg H nnnen4-13 4.2 Suspended sediment transport. 4-22 CHAPTER 5 THREE-DIMENSIONAL HYDRODYNAMICS AND MASS TRANSPORT MODELLING 5-1 5.1 The o-coordinate transformation.2 Splitting method and temporal difference scheme. Numerical schemes for solving spatial differences.
ST HỲ HH 11355 5-40 5. Model establishment and boundary conditions. 5-55 CHAPTER 6 MODELLING OF CURRENT INDUCED TURBIDITY MAXIMUM IN THE PEARL RIVER ESTUARY.2 Turbidity maximum in the PRE.3 Fortnightly variation of turbidity maximum.4 Seasonal variation of turbidity maximum.5 Impact of runoff on turbidity maximum.6 -‹««s << << rss+ 6-10 Impact of wind on turbidity maximum. CHAPTER 7 MODELLING OF WAVE-CURRENT INDUCED TURBIDITY MAXIMUM IN THE PEARL RIVER ESTUARY 7-1 7.2 Wave prorogation model .1 Wave action conservation equations .------sccsssesseee 7-2 ng v3 80 1k4 7-4 - - < s nh HH0 1 1.
Splitting of wave action equafion.4 Numerical scheme and solution procedure.5 Combined wave-current bottom shear sfr€SS.6 Wave-current coupling procedure. Characteristics of wave in the PRE.4 Wave propagation in quiescent Wat€r.5 Combined current and wave modelling.1 Wave propagations OV€T CUTT€TIÍ.2 Effect of wave on saltwater IntrusIon. Effect of wave on sediment concentration.4 Wave-current induced turbidity maxImum.GcG Gì Họ Họ n0 cv. 7-19 CHAPTER 8 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.2 Hydrodynamics in the Pearl River Estuary.3 Wave propagation in the Pearl River Estuary.4 Salinity in the Pearl River ESfuary.5 Sediment transport in the Pearl River Estuary.6 Turbidity maximum in the Pearl River Estuary.
Recommendations for future WOFK. 8-8 REFERENCES iv LIST OF FIGURES Fig.1 Coastline of the Pearl River Delta .2 Map of the PRE and locations of the field stations for the surveys IN 1978 Sand1979.3 Time series of velocity, suspended sediment concentration and chlorinity at station Gu3 in the wet season (July 1978).4 Time series of velocity, suspended sediment concentration and chlorinity (ppt) at station Gu6 in the wet season (July 1978).5 Time series of velocity, suspended sediment concentration and chlorinity at station Gu4 in the wet season (July 1978).6 Time series of velocity, suspended sediment concentration and chlorinity at station Gu7 in the wet season (July 1978).7 Time series of velocity, suspended sediment concentration and chlorinity at station Gu3 in the dry season (March 1979).8 Time series of velocity, suspended sediment concentration and chlorinity (ppt) at station Gu6 in the dry season (March 1979) .9 Time series of velocity, suspended sediment concentration and chlorinity at station Gu4 in the dry season (March 1979).10 Time series of velocity, suspended sediment concentration and chlorinity at station Gu7 in the dry season (March 1979).11 Contours of tidally averaged sediment concentration, chlorinity and locations of turbidity rmaxima.12 Tidally averaged net sediment f1UX .13 Diagrammatic representations of decompositions of velocity along water column and over a tidal cycÌe.14 Components of net sediment flux in the wet season (July 1978) and dry season (March 1979) .-- Ác HH HH ng re, 3-38 Fig.15 Sediment concentration profiles derived from Rouse profile.16 Relationship between effective velocity and near bed shear stress.17 Comparison of computed and measured suspended Sediment COnCentratiOTn.- - - -- 5 + 3x11 119 1H ng ng ve 3-40 Fig.1 Computational domain, tidal gauges and survey stations.2 Comparison of computed and predicted tidal levels.3 Comparison of computed and measured current in the wet season (August 1992) .4 Comparison of computed and measured current in the dry season (January 1993) m6.5 Comparison of computed and measured salinity in the wet season (August 1992).6 Comparison of computed and measured salinity in the dry season o0 c1.7 Tidal propagation in the PRE. nH HH HH ng hen 4-31 Fig.8 Computed flow patterns during flooding and ebbing of a spring tide.9 Computed Eulerian residual flow and Stokes drifts of a neap tide in the wet season (August 19922).----<<sccc+sss2 4-34 Fig.10 Computed Eulerian residual flow and Stokes drifts of a neap tide in the dry season (January 1993) .11 Computed Eulerian residual flow during a spring tide in the wet season (August 1992) .12 Computed Eulerian residual flow during a spring tide in the dry season (January 1993). -- - --- - c1 HH ng regzz 4-39 Fig.13 Computed sediment concentration during a spring tide in the dry season (January 1993).