Verification of a transient input, two-dimensional, river mixing model

Abstract

A two-dimensional river mixing model capable of handling unsteady input conditions is evaluated in this study. The numerical model utilizes a streamtube representation of the river and a calculation grid which is optimized to eliminate errors associated with advective transport calculations. The application of the modelling procedure to natural river systems is evaluated by comparing model output with the results of tracer studies conducted on the North Saskatchewan, Peace, and Slave rivers. The study results represent a far more extensive field verification of this modelling procedure than had been previously reported by other authors.Key words: river mixing, mixing zones, tracer tests, water quality modelling, mixing coefficients.