An Introduction To Water Quality Modelling

An Introduction to Water Quality Modelling

An Introduction to Water Quality Modelling Second Edition Edited by A. James Department of Civil Engineering, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK This book presents a simple introduction (for those not familiar with modelling, computing or numerical methods) to the use of modelling techniques and their applications in the management of water quality. Eight years have passed since the first edition of the book was published and there has been a tremendous increase in the use of mathematical models in environmental engineering, especially the control of pollution in rivers and estuaries. Modelling has also addressed a much wider range of pollutants and there has been an increase in the range of conceptual approaches to the formulation of models. The text of this second edition has therefore been modified to reflect these changes. The chapters dealing with techniques have been expanded to cover a greater range of kinetics and introduce a background of understanding for statistical techniques and time series analysis. Similarly, the chapters dealing with the application of models to rivers, estuaries, lakes, groundwater and the marine environment have been expanded and updated. The overall aims of the book, however, remain the same, making it an ideal introductory text for people wishing to learn about water quality modelling.

Water Quality Modelling for Rivers and Streams

The main objective of the Water Framework Directive in the European countries is to achieve a “good status” of all the water bodies, in the integrated management of river basins. In order to assess the impact of improvement measures, water quality models are necessary. During the previous decades the progress in computer technology and computational methods has supported the development of advanced mathematical models for pollutant transport in rivers and streams. This book is intended to provide the fundamental knowledge needed for a deeper understanding of these models and the development of new ones, which will fulfil future quality requirements in water resources management. This book focuses on the fundamentals of computational techniques required in water quality modelling. Advection, dispersion and concentrated sources or sinks of contaminants lead to the formulation of the fundamental differential equation of pollutant transport. Its integration, according to appropriate initial and boundary conditions and with the knowledge of the velocity field, allows for pollutant behaviour to be assessed in the entire water body. An analytical integration is convenient only in one-dimensional approach with considerable simplification. Integration in the numerical field is useful for taking into account particular aspects of water body and pollutants. To ensure their reliability, the models require accurate calibration and validation, based on proper data, taken from direct measurements. In addition, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis are also of utmost importance. All the above items are discussed in detail in the 21 chapters of the book, which is written in a didactic form for professionals and students.

Introduction to Water Quality Modelling