Abstract |
The main objectives of this paper are to briefly describe and evaluate three different applications of two-dimensional depth-average, finite-element models for hydrodynamics (RMA2) and transport (RMA4), which were run using the FastTABS user interface. The models are used to simulate dynamic flow circulation and transport in the New Bedford Harbor and Slocum River estuaries, side embayments of Buzzards Bay, MA, as well as steady-state circulation in Lake Havasu, an in-line impoundment on the Colorado River in Arizona. The applications included different physical conditions and were used to address environmental issues in surface waters such as flushing behavior, residence time, salinity distribution, and origins of different water masses, which may be responsible for observed contamination. The three applications are briefly presented in the order of their complexity. |