ASSESSMENT OF TURBULENT PROCESSES IN LAKE KINNERET BY THE 2-DIMENSIONAL RESERVOIR WATER-QUALITY MODEL BETTER

Data of high spatial and temporal resolution, and a special sampling program are essential for successful application of mathematical models designed to reproduce observed seasonal patterns of temperature, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, pH, and algal biomass for both vertical and longitudinal gradients in a water body. Lake Kinneret suspended solids are of great potential value for estimating transport, exposure to water body elements, and fate of many toxic substances. Therefore the distribution of admixtures in two longitudinal and five vertical segmentation schemes were examined with the two-dimensional water body quality box model ''BETTER'' (Bender et al, 1990). The transects were taken in the north-western part of Lake Kinneret close to the Jordan River mouth and the National Water Carrier (NWC) head pumping station. The outflow volumes were given according to regular sampling of natural speed of water outflow from different lake layers under calm conditions. Temporal distribution of mixing concentrations as well as turbulent diffusion horizontal coefficients due to the spatial distribution of turbulent scale were obtained during the model's run with the December 1991 data.