Estimating Stratification in Shallow Water Bodies from Mean Meteorological Conditions
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 127, Issue 4
Abstract
The level of stratification within ponds, lakes, and other wetlands is a strong determinant of water quality. It is shown here how the stratification in shallow systems (to a few meters deep) can be described in terms of two nondimensional parameters, which are functions only of the water depth, turbidity, mean wind speed, and mean solar radiation. The functional forms have been derived from flows generated by a coupled atmospheric boundary-layer–water-body model. The results generally provide very satisfactory estimates of the stratification in a shallow lake in southeastern Australia and are also shown to be consistent with an existing criterion for the initial onset of stratification in shallow systems. It is suggested that with further validation, the simple empirical description of stratification conditions provided here might be usefully incorporated into existing wetland management strategies.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Blumberg, A. F., and Mellor, G. L. ( 1983). “Diagnostic and prognostic numerical circulation studies of the South Atlantic Bight.” J. Geophys. Res., 88(C8), 4579–4592.
2.
Bormans, M., and Condie, S. A. ( 1998). “Modelling the distribution of Anabena and Melosira in a stratified river weir pool.” Hydrobiologia, 364(1), 3–13.
3.
Bormans, M., and Webster, I. T. ( 1997). “A mixing criterion for turbid rivers.” Envir. Modelling and Software, 12(4), 329–333.
4.
Condie, S. A., and Bormans, M. ( 1997). “The influence of density stratification on particle settling, dispersion and population growth.” J. Theoretical Biol., 187(1), 65–75.
5.
Condie, S. A., and Webster, I. T. ( 1997). “The influence of wind stress, temperature and humidity gradients on evaporation from reservoirs.” Water Resour. Res., 33(12), 2813–2822.
6.
Condie, S. A., and Webster, I. T. ( 2001). “Stratification and circulation in a shallow turbid wetland.” Envir. Fluid Mech., in press.
7.
Csanady, G. T. ( 1982). Circulation in the coastal ocean, Reidel, Dordrecth, The Netherlands.
8.
Dyer, A. J. ( 1974). “A review of the flux profile relationships.” Boundary Layer Meteor., 7, 363–372.
9.
Henderson-Sellers, B. ( 1977). “The thermal structure of small lakes: the influence of a modified wind speed.” Water Resour. Res., 13, 791–793.
10.
Henderson-Sellers, B., and Webster, I. T. ( 1991). “Billabong modelling studies: effects of turbidity.” Hydrology of Natural and Manmade Lakes (Proc. Vienna Symp., August 1991), IAHS Publ. No. 206, International Association for Hydrological Sciences, Wallingford, U.K.
11.
Hocking, G. C., and Patterson, J. C. ( 1994). “Modelling tracer dispersal and residence time in a reservoir.” Ecological Modeling, 74(1-2), 63–75.
12.
Holloway, P. E. ( 1980). “A criterion for thermal stratification in a wind-mixed system.” J. Physical Oceanogr., 10(6), 861–869.
13.
Imberger, I., and Hamblin, P. F. ( 1982). “Dynamics of lakes, reservoirs, and cooling ponds.” Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech., 14, 153–187.
14.
Imberger, I., and Patterson, J. C. ( 1990). “Physical limnology.” Adv. Appl. Mech., 27, 303–475.
15.
Jensen, N. O. ( 1978). “Change of surface roughness and the planetary boundary layer.” Q. J. R. Meteror. Soc., London, 104(440), 351–356.
16.
Kolb, B. H., and Heineman, M. C. ( 1995). “Controlling mechanisms of sediment-driven dissolved oxygen dynamics in New Bedford Outer Harbor.” Marine Freshwater Res., 46(1), 69–79.
17.
Lawrence, I., and Baldwin, S. ( 1996). “Development of an urban pond water quality model.” Proc., 7th Int. Conf. Urban Stormwater Drain., Seeliger Sofort-Druck, Hannover, Germany.
18.
Lawrence, I., and Breen, P. ( 1998). “Design guidelines: Stormwater pollution control ponds and wetlands.” CRCFE Rep., Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, Canberra, Australia.
19.
Mellor, G. L., and Yamada, T. ( 1974). “A heirarchy of turbulence closure models for planetary boundary layers.” J. Atmospheric Sci., 31(7), 1791–1806.
20.
Mellor, G. L., and Yamada, T. ( 1982). “Development of a turbulence closure model for geophysical fluid problems.” Rev. Geophys. Space Phys., 20(4), 851–879.
21.
Patterson, J. C., Hamilton, D. P., and Ferris, J. M. ( 1994). “Modelling of cyanobacterial blooms in the mixed layer of lakes and reservoirs.” Aust. J. Freshwater Res., 45(5), 829–845.
22.
Patterson, J. C., Hamilton, D. P., and Imberger, J. ( 1984). “Classification and dynamic simulation of the vertical density structure of lakes.” Limnol. Oceanogr., 29(4), 845–861.
23.
Portielje, R., and Lijklema, L. ( 1995). “The effect of reaeration and benthic algae on the oxygen balance of an artificial ditch.” Ecol. Modeling, 79(1), 35–48.
24.
Rimon, A., and Shilo, M. ( 1982). “Factors which affect the intensification of fish-breeding in Israel. 1. Physical chemical and biological characteristics of the intensive fish ponds in Israel.” Bamidgeh, 34(3), 87–100.
25.
Sherman, B. S., and Webster, I. T. ( 1994). “A model for the light-limited growth of buoyant phytoplankton in a shallow, turbid waterbody.” Aust. J. Freshwater Res., 45(5), 847–862.
26.
Simpson, J. H., and Hunter, J. R. ( 1974). “Fronts in the Irish Sea.” Nature, 250(5465), 404–406.
27.
Spigel, R. H., Imberger, J., and Rayner, K. N. ( 1986). “Modeling the diurnal mixed layer.” Limnol. Oceanogr., 31(3), 533–556.
28.
Webster, I. T., Maier, H., Baker, P., and Burch, M. ( 1997). “Influence of wind on water levels and lagoon-river exchange in the River Murray, Australia.” Marine and Freshwater Res., 48(6), 541–550.
29.
Webster, I. T., and Sherman, B. S. ( 1995). “Evaporation from fetch-limited water bodies.” Irrig. Sci., 16(2), 53–64.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 127 • Issue 4 • April 2001
Pages: 286 - 292
History
Received: Apr 13, 1999
Published online: Apr 1, 2001
Published in print: Apr 2001
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.