Computations of Physical Transport and Regeneration of Phosphorus in Lake Erie, Fall 1970

Abstract

A one-layer, two-dimensional computer model for the time-dependent, lakewide advective and diffusive transports as well as physical regeneration of total phosphorus in Lake Erie has been developed. It has 60 × 16 square grid cells of 6.67-km mesh size and uses a time step of 12 h. The model has been verified and found to be in reasonably good agreement with the Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW) monitor cruise data for October, November, and December during which period there were high winds with high phosphorus concentrations being observed. Computed, daily averaged currents from a hydrodynamic model developed at CCIW are used for the transport terms and actual data for the lake boundary conditions. The physical regeneration is attributed to wave motions induced by wind. A formula is proposed which expresses the regenerated amount of total phosphorus in terms of wave orbital velocity and sediment mean grain size. A discussion is presented on the choice of the settling rate and the regeneration coefficient which produce satisfactory model results.