Three-dimensional water quality model based on FVCOM for total load control management in Guan River Estuary, Northern Jiangsu Province

Guan River Estuary and adjacent coastal area (GREC) suffer from serious pollution and eutrophicational problems over the recent years. Thus, reducing the land-based load through the national pollutant total load control program and developing hydrodynamic and water quality models that can simulate the complex circulation and water quality kinetics within the system, including longitudinal and lateral variations in nutrient and COD concentrations, is a matter of urgency. In this study, a three-dimensional, hydrodynamic, water quality model was developed in GREC, Northern Jiangsu Province. The complex three-dimensional hydrodynamics of GREC were modeled using the unstructured-grid, finite-volume, free-surface, primitive equation coastal ocean circulation model (FVCOM). The water quality model was adapted from the mesocosm nutrients dynamic model in the south Yellow Sea and considers eight compartments: dissolved inorganic nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), phytoplankton, zooplankton, detritus, dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP), and chemical oxygen demand. The hydrodynamic and water quality models were calibrated and confirmed for 2012 and 2013. A comparison of the model simulations with extensive dataset shows that the models accurately simulate the longitudinal distribution of the hydrodynamics and water quality. The model can be used for total load control management to improve water quality in this area.