PURPOSE: The purpose of this Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) technical note is to present the engineering procedure for building models to investigate estuarine processes using the two-dimensional (2D) shallow water equations in the Adaptive Hydraulics (AdH) finite element code. INTRODUCTION: For this document, the term model implies the conceptual assumptions, user-specified parameters, and the mesh definition utilized in the AdH code. There are no numerical code modifications to AdH discussed herein. Estuarine modeling presents unique challenges that require forethought and perception to both construct the model (conceptual assumptions) and understand numerical code limitations. The need for forethought in assumptions and parameterization in setting up applications is intrinsic to all hydraulic modeling. Engineering experience through exposure to a broad range of estuarine projects is the best instructor for construction of estuarine models. Often, especially for novice engineers, the temptation is to over value model results without the proper application and understanding of model limitations. The constructed model is only a representation of the prototype and is not infallible. Careful consideration is required to provide the greatest probability of successful interpretation of field behavior with a numerical model.Below is a step-by-step thought logic for users to understand the important processes and considerations when constructing an estuarine model that correctly represents the desired domain. The following sections include discussion on defining the domain, boundary conditions, validation considerations, and model result interpretation. This instructional technical note assumes the user has previous exposure to AdH; thus, this is supplemental information intended to aid the user and not cover the nuances of applying the code.
展开▼
