Numerical Modelling of Sediment Particle Transportation on a Navigation Inlet Using the Particle Tracking Model (PTM)

Abstract

This paper investigates particle transportation using a numerical model application approach to understand the final fate of suspended sediment particle masses due to a dredging operation in a navigational harbor inlet using PTM (Particle Tracking Model). The investigation applied PTM and simulated particle transportation at a navigational harbor called St Jerome Creek Inlet in Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Maryland District, designed jetties for the inlet, which, when constructed, would minimize dredging requirements from once in a two-year period to once in a ten-year period. In the meantime, due to the frequent dredging requirements of the inlet, there exists a need to understand the fate of the suspended sediments from the dredging operations to assess the environmental impact on the aquatic environment and the coastal community. This study used PTM to simulate the transportation of sediments in a 30-day period during a dredging operation. Ten sediment source locations were selected as possible sites from which dredged materials could be introduced into the flow system. The model output was analyzed to draw conclusions. Results showed that most suspended sediment particle masses moved from their initial site locations and settled along the shoreline, whilst the sediments that found their way out of the inlet system towards the ocean migrated southward and settled approximately 6 miles at the tip of the mainland. The objective of the study is to track sediment particles from a dredging operation. This would be significant in tracking possible contaminants in an aquatic environment for future environmental management decisions.