M. Llewellyn Thatcher

Transient hydrodynamic and salinity simulations in the Chesapeake Bay network

A transient network model is applied to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary estuaries. Calibration of the model is based on only three external parameters: a friction factor that is spatially described, and two global constants required to calibrate a dynamic dispersion relationship that depends on both the local salinity gradient and hydraulic conditions. The transient hydrodynamics and the transient salinity distribution of the Bay and its tributary estuaries are simulated for the period of one month and comparisons made between calculated and observed salinities.