Development and Verification of a Three-Dimensional Numerical Hydrodynamic, Salinity, and Temperature Model of Chesapeake Bay. Volume 1. Main Text and Appendix D

A time-varying three-dimensional (3-D) numerical hydrodynamic model of Chesapeake Bay has been developed to provide flow fields to a 3-D water quality model of the bay. The water surface, 3-D velocity field, salinity, and temperature are computed. Major physical processes affecting bay circulation and vertical mixing are modeled. A particular feature of the model is the solution of transformed equations on a boundary-fitted grid in the horizontal plane. The 3-D model has been verified through application to six data sets. The first three were about 1 month long each and represented a dry summer condition, a spring runoff, and a fall wind-mixing event. The last three were yearlong simulations for the years of 1984, 1985, and 1986. These years represent a wet, dry, and average freshwater inflow year, respectively. A major storm in november 1985 over the lower portion of the bay resulted in a 200-year flood on the James River and served to demonstrate the ability of the model to simulate extreme events. Results from these applications demonstrate that the model is a good representation of the hydrodynamics of the Chesapeake Bay and its major tributaries.