Hydrodynamic Modeling of Lake Champlain

Increased phosphorous pollution in Lake Champlain causes toxic and unsightly algal blooms, leading to public outcry for action. It is believed that causeways exacerbate this problem by restricting circulation in areas such as... [ view full abstract ]

Increased phosphorous pollution in Lake Champlain causes toxic and unsightly algal blooms, leading to public outcry for action. It is believed that causeways exacerbate this problem by restricting circulation in areas such as Missisquoi Bay. This project seeks to learn more about the hydrodynamics of the lake and the effects of removing causeways by developing an accurate numerical hydrodynamic model of Lake Champlain.

Hydrodynamic models describe the movement of air or water by solving the Navier-Stokes equations for fluid motion. These models are only useful if they actually describe the physical phenomena seen the real world, so we are developing an increasingly more complex and realistic model of Lake Champlain. Using the software Delft-3DFM, a grid was created that mimics the shape of Lake Champlain’s shorelines, bottom bathymetry, and man-made causeways. Furthermore, the model was initialized with measured temperature profiles, forced with observed wind velocities and solar radiation, and had water level boundary conditions enforced at the northern and southern ends of the lake. The model results are currently being verified with observed water level, water velocity, and thermal structure, and simulation runs regarding the removal of the causeways are being investigated.