Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.5
3.4
Journals
Water
Special Issues
Contaminant Transport Modeling in Aquatic Environments
share announcement

Contaminant Transport Modeling in Aquatic Environments

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2024 | Viewed by 4941

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jun Song Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hankyong National University, Anseong-si, Republic of Korea
Interests: river hydraulics; contaminant transport; water quality modeling; hyporheic exchange; remote sensing; data-driven modeling
Dr. Dong-Kyun Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
International Center for Water Security & Management (i-WSSM), Hwaseong-si, Republic of Korea
Interests: plankton dynamics in aquatic ecosystems; water quality prediction and forecast; ecological modeling and risk assessment in management strategies
Dr. Donghae Baek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Korea Environment Institute, Sejong, Republic of Korea
Interests: river hydraulics; estuarine environment; mixing in turbulent flows; numerical analysis; remote sensing; environmental assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water quality is a crucial factor in the assessment of aquatic ecosystems and public health, considering biological diversity, habitat degradation, sustainable water use, and waterfront activities. Thus, the precise modeling and prediction of spatio-temporal variability in contaminant concentrations is critically important for effective water resource management.

The fate and transport of contaminants can generally be analyzed via the advection–dispersion–reaction process. In natural water bodies such as rivers and streams, however, the dispersive behavior of contaminants cannot be adequately explained using conventional advection–dispersion models due to vegetation, dead zones, and flow recirculation around structures, which delay transport and thereby induce non-Fickian mixing. Also, flow exchange at water–sediment interfaces, known as hyporheic flow, exerts significant control on non-Fickian transport. Water quality substances undergo reactions depending upon surrounding environmental conditions, leading to changes in their concentrations. Therefore, we must advance our understanding of complicated interplays between hydrogeological and biochemical factors for the accurate prediction of water quality in aquatic environments.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions related to the modeling and prediction of diverse water quality issues like harmful algal bloom, eutrophication, microplastics, suspended sediments, and accidental pollution spills with not only the development of advanced mathematical and numerical models but also machine-learning- and remote-sensing-based models.

Dr. Jun Song Kim
Dr. Dong-Kyun Kim
Dr. Donghae Baek
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • contaminant transport
  • water quality modeling
  • non-Fickian mixing
  • hyporheic exchange
  • numerical simulation
  • remote sensing
  • data-driven modeling

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 4685 KiB  
Article
An Investigation of Contaminant Transport and Retention from Storage Zone in Meandering Channels
by Sung Hyun Jung, Inhwan Park and Jaehyun Shin
Water 2024, 16(8), 1170; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w16081170 - 20 Apr 2024
Viewed by 398
Abstract
Contaminant trapping by recirculation zones occurring at the apex of natural meandering channels induces a long tail in the contaminant cloud, thereby complicating the prediction of mixing behaviors. Thus, the understanding of the interaction between solute trapping and recirculating flow is important for [...] Read more.
Contaminant trapping by recirculation zones occurring at the apex of natural meandering channels induces a long tail in the contaminant cloud, thereby complicating the prediction of mixing behaviors. Thus, the understanding of the interaction between solute trapping and recirculating flow is important for responding to and mitigating water pollution accidents. In this research, the EFDC model was employed to reproduce three-dimensional flow structures of recirculating flow at the channel apex and investigate the influence on contaminant mixing. To investigate the contaminant transport characteristics from the storage zone in meandering channels, simulations were conducted using various discharge values to assess the impact of storage zone development on the concentration–time curves. The analysis of the relationship between the storage zone size and mixing behaviors indicates that an increase in discharge could result in a shorter tail and larger longitudinal dispersion even with the larger storage zone size. On the other hand, the enlarged recirculation zone size contributes to reducing transverse dispersion, evidenced by flatter dosage curves under lower flow rate conditions. These findings suggest that the increase in longitudinal dispersion with a larger flow rate is primarily caused by the reduction in transverse dispersion resulting from the formation of the recirculation zone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminant Transport Modeling in Aquatic Environments)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 16173 KiB  
Article
Surrogate-Based Uncertainty Analysis for Groundwater Contaminant Transport in a Chromium Residue Site Located in Southern China
by Yanhong Zou, Muhammad Shahzad Yousaf, Fuqiang Yang, Hao Deng and Yong He
Water 2024, 16(5), 638; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w16050638 - 21 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1047
Abstract
Numerical modeling is widely acknowledged as a highly precise method for understanding the dynamics of contaminant transport in groundwater. However, due to the intricate characteristics of environmental systems and the lack of accurate information, the results are susceptible to a significant degree of [...] Read more.
Numerical modeling is widely acknowledged as a highly precise method for understanding the dynamics of contaminant transport in groundwater. However, due to the intricate characteristics of environmental systems and the lack of accurate information, the results are susceptible to a significant degree of uncertainty. Numerical models must explicitly consider related uncertainties in parameters to facilitate robust decision-making. In a Chromium Residue Site located in southern China (the study area), this study employed Monte Carlo simulation to assess the impact of variability in key parameters uncertainty on the simulation outcomes. Variogram analysis of response surface (VARS), global sensitivity analysis, and an XGBoost (version 2.0.0)-based surrogate model was employed to overcome the substantial computational cost of Monte Carlo simulation. The results of numerical simulation indicate that the contaminant is spreading downstream towards the northern boundary of contaminated site near Lianshui River, threatening water quality. Furthermore, migration patterns are complex due to both downstream convection and upstream diffusion. Sensitivity analysis identified hydraulic conductivity, recharge rate, and porosity as the most influential model parameters, selected as key parameters. Moreover, uncertainty analysis indicated that the variability in key parameters has a minimal impact on the simulation outcomes at monitoring wells near the contaminant source. In contrast, at wells positioned a considerable distance from the contaminant source, the variability in key parameters significantly influences the simulation outcomes. The surrogate model markedly mitigated computational workload and calculation time, while demonstrating superior precision and effectively capture the non-linear correlations between input and output of the simulation model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminant Transport Modeling in Aquatic Environments)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 9212 KiB  
Article
Case Study of Contaminant Transport Using Lagrangian Particle Tracking Model in a Macro-Tidal Estuary
by Bon-Ho Gu, Seung-Buhm Woo, Jae-Il Kwon, Sung-Hwan Park and Nam-Hoon Kim
Water 2024, 16(4), 617; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w16040617 - 19 Feb 2024
Viewed by 663
Abstract
This study presents a comprehensive analysis of contaminant transport in estuarine environments, focusing on the impact of tidal creeks and flats. The research employs advanced hydrodynamic models with irregular grid systems and conducts a detailed residual current analysis to explore how these physical [...] Read more.
This study presents a comprehensive analysis of contaminant transport in estuarine environments, focusing on the impact of tidal creeks and flats. The research employs advanced hydrodynamic models with irregular grid systems and conducts a detailed residual current analysis to explore how these physical features influence the movement and dispersion of contaminants. The methodology involves simulating residual currents and Lagrangian particle trajectories in both ‘Creek’ and ‘No Creek’ cases, under varying tidal conditions. The results indicate that tidal creeks significantly affect particle retention and transport, with notable differences observed in the dispersion patterns between the two scenarios. The ‘Creek’ case demonstrates enhanced material retention along the creek pathways, while the ‘No Creek’ case shows broader dispersion, potentially leading to increased sedimentation in open sea areas. The discussion highlights the implications of these findings for sediment dynamics, contaminant transport, and estuarine ecology, emphasizing the role of tidal creeks in modulating flow and material transport. The research underlines the necessity of incorporating detailed environmental features in estuarine models for accurate contaminant transport prediction and effective estuarine management. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of estuarine hydrodynamics and offers valuable insights for environmental policy and management in coastal regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminant Transport Modeling in Aquatic Environments)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

32 pages, 11786 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Regional Groundwater Flow and a Neighbouring River on the Behaviour of an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage System
by Qais H. M. Al-Madhlom, Sanaa A. Jassim and Riyadh H. M. Muttaleb
Water 2024, 16(4), 548; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w16040548 - 09 Feb 2024
Viewed by 662
Abstract
One promising solution for mitigating CO2 emissions in arid regions is to use Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems in cooling and heating systems. However, ATES systems need to be subjected to geohydrological investigations before their installation to ensure high performance. Two [...] Read more.
One promising solution for mitigating CO2 emissions in arid regions is to use Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems in cooling and heating systems. However, ATES systems need to be subjected to geohydrological investigations before their installation to ensure high performance. Two geohydrological properties are considered: regional groundwater flow and the influence of neighbouring rivers. This study considers a hypothetical ATES system within the city of Hilla, Iraq. MODFLOW 6.1 software was used to simulate the influence of the two properties. The simulation tested two locations situated at 75 m and 300 m from the river. Each location was explored using three flow rates: 10 m3/d, 50 m3/d, and 100 m3/d. The results indicate that the temperature change in the warm and cold wells increases proportionally with time of operation and rate of flow. For example, the temperature of the middle layer (for 10 m3/d operation) changes from 29 °C (after one year) to 34 °C (after twenty years operation), while it changes from 34 °C (one year) to 35 °C (twenty years) under 100 m3/d operation. Another result is that the available regional groundwater flow has a negligible influence on the storage system, while the neighbouring river has a high influence on the stored energy when the distance between them is 75 m or less. The paper recommends the installation of ATES systems at least 300 m from the bank of a river. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminant Transport Modeling in Aquatic Environments)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 7905 KiB  
Article
Improvement of the Two-Dimensional Routing Procedure for Observing Dispersion Coefficients in Open-Channel Flow
by Donghae Baek, Il Won Seo, Jun Song Kim, Sung Hyun Jung and Yuyoung Choi
Water 2024, 16(2), 365; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w16020365 - 22 Jan 2024
Viewed by 808
Abstract
The dispersion coefficients are crucial in understanding the spreading of pollutant clouds in river flows, particularly in the context of the depth-averaged two-dimensional (2D) advection–dispersion equation (ADE). Traditionally, the 2D stream-tube routing procedure (2D STRP) has been the predominant method for determining both [...] Read more.
The dispersion coefficients are crucial in understanding the spreading of pollutant clouds in river flows, particularly in the context of the depth-averaged two-dimensional (2D) advection–dispersion equation (ADE). Traditionally, the 2D stream-tube routing procedure (2D STRP) has been the predominant method for determining both the longitudinal and transverse dispersion coefficients of the 2D ADE under transient concentration conditions. This study aims to quantitatively analyze and address the limitations of the 2D STRP using hypothetically generated data. The findings of these evaluations revealed that the existing 2D STRP failed to accurately reproduce reliable results when the tracer clouds reached wall boundaries. This limitation prompted the development of the 2D STRP-i, which effectively resolves this drawback. The newly developed routing-based observation method, 2D STRP-i, enables the reliable estimation of dispersion coefficients, considering the effect of the wall boundary. The results indicated that the existing 2D STRP yielded 2D dispersion coefficients with relative errors ranging from 40% to 200%, while 2D STRP-i consistently yielded relative errors of 3% to 5% on average. When applied to tracer test data obtained through remote sensing, the 2D STRP-i demonstrated its ability to accurately observe temporal concentration distributions, even when wall boundaries have a significant impact on contaminant transport. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminant Transport Modeling in Aquatic Environments)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

30 pages, 19970 KiB  
Article
Prediction of the Turbidity Distribution Characteristics in a Semi-Enclosed Estuary Based on the Machine Learning
by Nam-Hoon Kim, Dong Hyeon Kim and Sung-Hwan Park
Water 2024, 16(1), 61; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w16010061 - 23 Dec 2023
Viewed by 914
Abstract
This study addresses the critical challenge of predicting sediment behavior in a semi-enclosed estuary, where the interplay between artificial freshwater discharge and seawater significantly impacts turbidity. Such environments are characterized by complex hydrodynamic interactions that lead to cycles of sediment settling and resuspension, [...] Read more.
This study addresses the critical challenge of predicting sediment behavior in a semi-enclosed estuary, where the interplay between artificial freshwater discharge and seawater significantly impacts turbidity. Such environments are characterized by complex hydrodynamic interactions that lead to cycles of sediment settling and resuspension, influenced by tidal forces. To tackle this problem, we employed machine learning, leveraging its capability to analyze and predict complex non-linear phenomena. Our approach involved extensive transect observations conducted over two years, encompassing 11 ebb tide and 9 flood tide cycles. These observations were crucial for training the machine learning model, ensuring it captured the nuanced dynamics of sediment behavior under varying hydrodynamic conditions. The necessity of this research lies in its potential to enhance our understanding of sediment dynamics in estuaries, a vital aspect for environmental management and engineering projects. The findings demonstrate a promising alignment between the machine learning model’s predictions and the theoretically assumed sediment behavior, highlighting the model’s effectiveness in deciphering and predicting turbidity patterns in these challenging environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contaminant Transport Modeling in Aquatic Environments)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop