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Cross-channel transport in the upper Delaware estuary: numerical experiments for contamination vulnerability assessment
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Cross-channel transport in the upper Delaware estuary: numerical experiments for contamination vulnerability assessment

Philip J. Duzinski
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
12 Dec 2010
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-3410
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Abstract

Delaware River estuary Water--Pollution--Delaware River Estuary Environmental Engineering
This research employs a model to examine the potential for material transport across the channel of the upper, non-saline tidal Delaware River in Philadelphia and vicinity. Numerical experiments were designed to explore the possible dynamics of tidally-driven transverse transport, and the potential implications for the Baxter drinking water intake of pollutant sources such as the discharge of a local stream. A 2-D hydrodynamic model was used to investigate the lateral velocity structure in a 2 km domain adjacent to the intake. This analysis reveals that interactions between the barotropic tidal flows and the complex bathymetry and shoreline in that domain produce shears that are capable of generating subtidal lateral velocities on the order of 50% of the longitudinal subtidal flow. In addition, this research found that non-linear interactions between the tidal advective flow and the bathymetry and shoreline produce a protective velocity structure in the lateral cross section adjacent to the Baxter intake, whi h, under low flow conditions, would take an opposing wind speed of 10 kmh-1 [6 mph] to reverse this structure, and for a 10-year return flow event would take a wind speed of 96 kmh-1 [60 mph].

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