NUMERICAL MODELING OF CIRCULATION, VOLUME FLUXES AND TRACER TRANSPORT IN SINGAPORE COASTAL WATERS

Abstract

A coupled hydrologic-hydrodynamic model is developed and applied to perform numerical simulations of flow and tracer transport in Singapore coastal waters. Model calibration and validation is performed for the coupled model with observed data of sea surface elevations and velocities. Significant seasonal circulation patterns are found in Singapore coastal waters and the effects of different forcing terms on volume transport are investigated. Tracer transport is studied by releasing passive tracers at six locations located upstream of rivers. The lateral dispersion coefficient and the compound dispersion coefficient are found to obey the “4/3-law” of the lateral plume length scale and the distance of the center of concentration travelled , respectively.