Circulation and pollutant transport modeling in Narragansett Bay

Abstract

Powerful PCs have made possible the efficient use of sophisticated two- and three-dimensional modeling techniques that were previously available to modelers only in a research environment. Applied Science Associates, Inc. has been very active in the development of such models in the PC environment. This effort includes application of hydrodynamics, pollutant transport and water quality models to specific environmental problems in Narragansett Bay. They have been used to simulate the effects of combined sewer overflows in the Providence River and upper Narragansett Bay; thermal effluent in Mt. Hope Bay from the Brayton Point Station electrical generating facility; and dredging and dredged material disposal operations; among others. These examples highlight what the authors have learned about bay circulation and pollutant transport and the use of numerical modeling to help assess the environmental conditions in the bay today and in the future.