Simulation of Salinity Intrusion from Arabian Gulf to Shatt Al-Arab River

Abstract

This study is an attempt to determine the salinityintrusion from Arabian Gulf to Shatt Al-Arab River. Onedimensional time-dependent hydrodynamics model coupledwith salinity model were applied and solved numerically byusing the explicit finite difference method, a computerprogram was used to simulate the flow and the salinityconcentration. “Total tide” software has been used to get aninformation about tide level in the day of field measurement,field measurement of salinity and tide velocity in Al-FaoStation was taken for a full tidal cycle and compared with theprogram results shows a good agreement between fieldmeasurement and numerical model results. Three sectionswere taken along the Shatt Al-Arab River to study the effect ofsalinity intrusion from the sea. It were found that the effect ofsalinity intrusion from the sea, reach a distance of a fewkilometers upstream of Shatt Al-Arab mouth, but not fartherthan Abadan region. It is found that the salinity increasedrapidly in the last of tidal period to a distance approximatelyequal 50 km downstream of Karun river or 10 km upstream ofAl-Fao, and reach gradually to the salinity of the sea.