Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Two-Dimensional Modelling of the Mixing Patterns in a Tropical Semiarid Reservoir
AU - Rocha, S.M.G.
AU - da Silva, J.V.B.
AU - Lemos, W.E.D.
AU - de Souza Filho, F.D.A.
AU - Lima Neto, I.E.
PY - 2022/12/1
Y1 - 2022/12/1
N2 - Tropical semi-arid regions suffer with recurrent droughts and uncertain water availability, but a few research studies have been conducted to further understand those complexities and their relationships with reservoir hydrodynamics. This study assessed the hydrodynamic processes of a multiple-use reservoir located in the Brazilian semiarid region. The aim was to apply the CE-QUAL-W2 model to understand the lake’s thermal structure and its variabilities in time and space by using the Richardson’s number (Ri) as a reference. Meteorological patterns were also investigated. Results show that: (1) no significant changes were found by analysing the spatial variabilities of stratification; (2) seasonal changes were relevant as more robust stratification stability was observed in the wet period when water availability may be impacted by poor water quality; (3) from meteorological evaluations, rainfall showed a strong coefficient of determination with Ri (r² of 0.77); and (4) a threshold value of 60 mm in monthly precipitation was found as an indication of a stable stratification in the water column. Wind speed and water level partly influenced Ri’s variabilities, while low impact was noted for air temperature and inflow. These results can promote an improvement in water-resources management by linking rainfall regime and reservoir hydrodynamics.
AB - Tropical semi-arid regions suffer with recurrent droughts and uncertain water availability, but a few research studies have been conducted to further understand those complexities and their relationships with reservoir hydrodynamics. This study assessed the hydrodynamic processes of a multiple-use reservoir located in the Brazilian semiarid region. The aim was to apply the CE-QUAL-W2 model to understand the lake’s thermal structure and its variabilities in time and space by using the Richardson’s number (Ri) as a reference. Meteorological patterns were also investigated. Results show that: (1) no significant changes were found by analysing the spatial variabilities of stratification; (2) seasonal changes were relevant as more robust stratification stability was observed in the wet period when water availability may be impacted by poor water quality; (3) from meteorological evaluations, rainfall showed a strong coefficient of determination with Ri (r² of 0.77); and (4) a threshold value of 60 mm in monthly precipitation was found as an indication of a stable stratification in the water column. Wind speed and water level partly influenced Ri’s variabilities, while low impact was noted for air temperature and inflow. These results can promote an improvement in water-resources management by linking rainfall regime and reservoir hydrodynamics.
KW - CE-QUAL-W2
KW - Hydrodynamics
KW - Richardson’s number
KW - stratification
U2 - 10.3390/su142316051
DO - 10.3390/su142316051
M3 - Journal article
VL - 14
JO - Sustainability (Switzerland)
JF - Sustainability (Switzerland)
SN - 2071-1050
IS - 23
M1 - 16051
ER -