A Model Study of Flushing Characteristics of the Elizabeth River, Virginia

VIMS HEM-3D was applied to study flushing characteristics of the Elizabeth River, a tributary of the James River Estuary in the lower Chesapeake Bay. The model grid was designed to cover the entire tidal portion of the James River but have higher resolution in the Elizabeth River. The model was verified with a spatial-temporal distribution of water levels and salinity structures. For a flushing characterization study, the model was forced with 3 tidal constituents (M2, N2, and S2) to encompass perigean-spring to apogean-neap tides. Fluxes temporally and spatially integrated over a cross section indicate the primary flushing is dominated by tidal transport but non-tidal transport is not negligible and becomes more significant at upper reach of the estuary. Data from a dye study and particle tracking supplement the characterization. Flushing for the overall system is not considered to be poor but locally varying.