Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Model Study of San Juan Bay Estuary

Bunch, Barry W.; Cerco, Carl F.; Dortch, Mark S.; Johnson, Billy H.; Kim, Keu W.

doi:10.21236/ada378533

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Currently, the tidal ranges at La Torrecilla Lagoon and San Juan Bay are both about 60 cm (Webb & Gómez‐Gómez, ). The tidal range in San José Lagoon is much less, 5–10 cm, and tidal fluctuations in Piñones Lagoon are similarly small (Bunch et al, ). In these latter two systems, about half of the variation in water levels can be explained by variations in precipitation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unexpected Nitrogen Sources in a Tropical Urban Estuary

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tropical urban estuaries are severely understudied. Little is known about the basic biogeochemical cycles and dominant ecosystem processes in these waterbodies, which are often low lying and heavily modified. The San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is an example of such a system. Over the past 80 years, a portion of the estuary has filled in, changing the hydrodynamics and negatively affecting water quality. Here we sought to document these changes using ecological and biogeochemical measurements of surface sediments and bivalves. Measurements of sediment physical characteristics, organic matter content, and stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) illustrated the effects of the closure of the Caño Martín Peña (CMP) on the hydrology and water quality of the enclosed and semi‐enclosed parts of the estuary. The nitrogen stable isotope (δ15N) values were lowest in the CMP, the stretch of the SJBE that is characterized by waters with low dissolved oxygen and high fecal coliform concentrations. Despite this, the results of this study indicate that nitrogen (N) contributions from N‐fixing, sulfate‐reducing microbes may meet or even exceed contributions from urban runoff and sewage. While the importance of sulfate reducers in contributing N to mangrove ecosystems is well documented, this is the first indication that such processes could be dominant in an intensely urban system. It also underscores just how little we know about tropical coastal ecosystems in densely populated areas throughout the globe.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unexpected Nitrogen Sources in a Tropical Urban Estuary

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The biogeochemical model selected for use with the FVCOM solution was CE-QUAL-ICM, a 3-D, time variable, integrated-compartment model, developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for simulating water quality (Cerco and Cole 1994). CE-QUAL-ICM was originally developed as the eutrophication model for the Chesapeake Bay and has been applied to a number of lakes and estuaries (e.g., Bunch et al 2000;Cerco et al 2000Cerco 2000;Tillman et al 2004). The model is capable of simulating 32 state variables, including multiple algae, carbon, multiple zooplankton, phosphorus, nitrogen, silica, and DO.…”

Section: Biogeochemical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation of annual biogeochemical cycles of nutrient balance, phytoplankton bloom(s), and DO in Puget Sound using an unstructured grid model

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nutrient pollution from rivers, nonpoint source runoff, and nearly 100 wastewater discharges is a potential threat to the ecological health of Puget Sound with evidence of hypoxia in some basins. However, the relative contributions of loads entering Puget Sound from natural and anthropogenic sources, and the effects of exchange flow from the Pacific Ocean are not well understood. Development of a quantitative model of Puget Sound is thus presented to help improve our understanding of the annual biogeochemical cycles in this system using the unstructured grid FiniteVolume Coastal Ocean Model framework and the Integrated Compartment Model (CE-QUAL-ICM) water quality kinetics. Results based on 2006 data show that phytoplankton growth and die-off, succession between two species of algae, nutrient dynamics, and dissolved oxygen in Puget Sound are strongly tied to seasonal variation of temperature, solar radiation, and the annual exchange and flushing induced by upwelled Pacific Ocean waters. Concentrations in the mixed outflow surface layer occupying approximately 5-20 m of the upper water column show strong effects of eutrophication from natural and anthropogenic sources, spring and summer algae blooms, accompanied by depleted nutrients but high dissolved oxygen levels. The bottom layer reflects dissolved oxygen and nutrient concentrations of upwelled Pacific Ocean water modulated by mixing with biologically active surface outflow in the Strait of Juan de Fuca prior to entering Puget Sound over the Admiralty Inlet. The effect of reflux mixing at the Admiralty Inlet sill resulting in lower nutrient and higher dissolved oxygen levels in bottom waters of Puget Sound than the incoming upwelled Pacific Ocean water is reproduced. By late winter, with the reduction in algal activity, water column constituents of interest, were renewed and the system appeared to reset with cooler temperature, higher nutrient, and higher dissolved oxygen waters from the Pacific Ocean.

show abstract

“…It was constituted a module of a model package, which includes a 3D hydrodynamic model and a sediment diagenesis model, developed for eutrophication processes simulation in Chesapeake Bay (Cerco & Cole, 1994, 1995. Since then it has been applied to number of different environments such as estuaries, lakes, and rivers as it can be coupled with alternative hydrodynamic models (Bunch, Cerco, Dorth, Johnson, & Kim, 2000;Cerco, 2000;Cerco et al, 2004;Khangaonker et al, 2012;Tillman, Cerco, Noel, Martin, & Hamrick, 2004). The model incorporates 32 state variables that describe physical processes; phytoplanktonic and zooplanktonic processes and interactions, phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon, and silica cycling; and oxygen dynamics (Cerco, Tillman, & Hagy, 2009;Khangaonker, 2012).…”

Section: Model Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological modeling and eutrophication—A review

Anagnostou

Gianni

Zacharias

2017

Natural Resource Modeling

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During the several last decades, environmental scientists use numerical modeling as a tool in their studies and investigations of aquatic systems. Ecological and hydrodynamic models are developed in parallel regarding their complexity, uncertainty, and computational power. Ecological models have been used to assess ecosystem processes and interactions, simulate future scenarios, evaluate remedial practices in response to eutrophication etc. This review paper deals with the progress in ecological modeling related to eutrophication processes, specifically in models that describe the trophic state dynamics of hypoxic/anoxic aquatic ecosystems. Nine dynamic ecological models coupled or noncoupled with hydrodynamic models have been discussed based upon their history, complexity, limitations, recent detailed modeling applications, and their important results. The advantages and disadvantages of these models are presented along with their application areas.

show abstract

Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Model Study of San Juan Bay Estuary

Cited by 19 publications

References 21 publications

Unexpected Nitrogen Sources in a Tropical Urban Estuary

Unexpected Nitrogen Sources in a Tropical Urban Estuary

Simulation of annual biogeochemical cycles of nutrient balance, phytoplankton bloom(s), and DO in Puget Sound using an unstructured grid model

Ecological modeling and eutrophication—A review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About