Three-Dimensional Numerical Model Study for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal andAdjacent Bays

摘要

Flow problems in the Chesapeake and Delaware (C and D) Canal, Maryland andDelaware, have received much attention over the years. However, due to the complex interactions of forcing functions and the sensitivity of flow conditions in the canal to hydraulic head differences, previous investigators have been unable to completely resolve many questions. To better understand the effect of one estuarine system on the other and to accurately compute flow and mass fluxes through the canal, a three-dimensional numerical hydrodynamic model extending from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at Annapolis, MD, through the C and D Canal and connecting with a grid extending from Trenton, NJ, to the mouth of Delaware Bay was developed. The model was initially tested by analyzing the propagation of tidal waves without considering salinity. An inset model that consisted of only the C and D canal was used to examine the sensitivity of results to wind stress, nonlinear terms in the equations of motion, an entrance loss term at both ends of the canal, bottom drag coefficients, and the effect of tidal datums. The information gained from the inset grid tests was then extended to he full hydrodynamic-salinity model. The tidal elevations, tidal currents, and salinity were well-verified during a Chesapeake, Mathematical, Delaware, Numerical, Hydrodynamics, Three-Dimensional month-long simulation using September, 1984 data. Verification accuracy depended primarily on providing correct tidal and salinity values at open boundaries.