Random Walk Simulations of the Dispersal of Sewage Effluent and Dredged Spoil

Random Walk models have been developed to simulate, in detail, the short-term fate of sewage effluent and suspended sediment plumes in coastal waters. The accuracy of the effluent plume model has recently been demonstrated in a study of an estuary on the coast of Wales. The sediment plume model has been used to simulate plumes associated with dredging-related activity near the south coast of England. Small-scale plume structure can be simulated to an extent which has previously only been possible using conventional modelling approaches requiring more extensive computing resources.