Dispersion analysis in homogeneous lakes

This paper is devoted to a comparison of the relative accuracy of two-dimensional vs. three-dimensional finite element representations of contaminant dispersion in shallow lakes. Formulations of both types are developed, followed by numerical calculations of a hypothetical lake. The results indicate that for typical lakes a two-dimensional dispersion analysis can be employed in the absence of a significant advective contribution. With significant advection the two-dimensional approach is not sufficiently accurate. A two-dimensional dispersion analysis requires approximately the same computational resources as a three-dimensional circulation analysis.