A. Osman Akan

Modeling enrichment of soluble pollutants in snow covers

Snowmelt runoff presents an enhanced threat of environmental damage. Soluble impurities which have accumulated in the snow during winter months are transported to the lower portion of the snow cover early in the melting season due to melt-freeze cycles. These contaminants are removed rapidly at very high concentrations within the first fractions of snowmelt runoff causing sudden bursts of enriched pollutants. This paper reports a physically-based mathematical model to simulate the enrichment process in a snow cover. The model is based on the liquid water flow, heat transport, and pollutant transport equations. These nonlinear partial differential equations are solved simultaneously using a six-point implicit finite difference scheme.