Articles | Volume 21, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-99-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-99-2017
Research article
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05 Jan 2017
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 05 Jan 2017

A comprehensive one-dimensional numerical model for solute transport in rivers

Maryam Barati Moghaddam, Mehdi Mazaheri, and Jamal MohammadVali Samani

Abstract. One of the mechanisms that greatly affect the pollutant transport in rivers, especially in mountain streams, is the effect of transient storage zones. The main effect of these zones is to retain pollutants temporarily and then release them gradually. Transient storage zones indirectly influence all phenomena related to mass transport in rivers. This paper presents the TOASTS (third-order accuracy simulation of transient storage) model to simulate 1-D pollutant transport in rivers with irregular cross-sections under unsteady flow and transient storage zones. The proposed model was verified versus some analytical solutions and a 2-D hydrodynamic model. In addition, in order to demonstrate the model applicability, two hypothetical examples were designed and four sets of well-established frequently cited tracer study data were used. These cases cover different processes governing transport, cross-section types and flow regimes. The results of the TOASTS model, in comparison with two common contaminant transport models, shows better accuracy and numerical stability.

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Short summary
In this study a comprehensive model was developed that combines numerical schemes with high-order accuracy for solution of the advection–dispersion equation considering transient storage zones term in rivers. In developing the subjected model (TOASTS), for achieving better accuracy and applicability, irregular-cross sections and unsteady flow regime were considered. For this purpose the QUICK scheme due to its high stability and low approximation error has been used for spatial discretization.