Modelling the distribution of suspended matter and the sedimentation process in a marine environment

Abstract A computational model for the study of suspended matter distribution in a marine environment is presented. It involves four main processes: the horizontal transport, the external sources of suspended matter, and its deposition and resuspension from the sea bed. As an immediate consequence of the calculations with such a model, the sedimentary regime at the studied marine scenario is also obtained. The model has been applied to the Irish Sea where we get a reasonably good description of the residual advection and diffusion and, at the same time, a detailed implementation of the sea bed structure and of the continental water runoff for each coastal sector has been done. The values for resuspension and deposition velocities are taken from the literature and the whole model is calibrated against field data. The corresponding sensitivity tests have also been carried out. The results confirm that the physical assumptions made for model development are adequately realistic. It also shows the predictive power of the model when studying the sedimentary processes in a given environment.