HYDRODYNAMIC MODELLING OF ESTUARINE CIRCULATION USING A SPLINE METHOD OF FRACTIONAL STEPS

A two-dimensional laterally integrated numerical model has been developed to represent the velocity and salinity distribution in a stratified estuary. The soverning equations expressing the conservation of mass, momentum, and ablt or heat content are solved by a spline method of frachonal steps in combination with the usual finite-difference method. Details of the computational scheme have been included in the present report. The model has been applied to the estuary of ha Riviere Petite beleine (Little Whale River) in the James Bay region of northern canada. Results from the simulation have been compared with salinity and velocity data taken in the field, as well as with the SADI (Spline Alternating Direction Implicit) Procedure. The results indicate that the spline method combined with a fractional step technique for each coordinate direction can be a powerful tool for the numerical solution of estuarine circulation.