3.4 Numerical Modelling of Dredge Plumes

Description

The project sought to improve the modelling of the dynamics and fate of total suspended solids (TSS) in the passive dredge plumes by developing a hindcast model of a large-scale capital dredging campaign in the Pilbara with the goal of improving the estimation of source terms for the passive far-field model, identifying and improving the estimates of important model parameters, and means of calculating ecologically relevant pressure fields. The modelling approach was consistent with what is typically applied in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).

The study assessed how effectively the observed far-field TSS dynamics of a major capital dredging project in Western Australia could be reproduced by the model in combination with the ambient sediment dynamics of the system.

Aims

• To improve the prediction of the transport and fate of dredge-generated sediments by developing an improved understanding of key physical processes that control the extent, intensity and duration of sediment plumes.