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The Barnegat Bay is a shallow estuary well protected from the adjacent Atlantic Ocean. Its isolation provides a perfect environment to support aquatic wildlife as well as human recreation and development. That is why there is considerable concern regarding the quality of its water. For some time the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has been monitoring and studying the bay water quality, resulting in many papers and reports. The overall goal of this project is to develop a numerical circulation model to integrate existing hydrographic data and to generate a set of quantities that are directly applicable for characterizing pollutant loading and the pollutant assimilative abilities of Barnegat Bay. This study will be used as part of the National Estuary Program’s development and implementation of a comprehensive conservation and management plan.
It was decided that a two-dimensional depth-averaged hydrodynamic model would be used to simulate water flow patterns in the Barnegat Bay. Measured water elevation data and surface water inflows from 1995 were used to drive the model. Once a solution file was obtained, the model was calibrated and verified with velocity and additional elevation data measured in the region. In addition, a two-dimensional mass transport model was utilized to simulate the salinity distribution. Salinity data collected from the same time period and locations was inputted into the model, which was then calibrated and verified.The results from the hydrodynamic simulations were used to quantify the flushing time of the Barnegat Bay. Flushing time is defined as the time it takes a pollutant anywhere in the bay to be “flushed” out of the bay by the actions of the tidal and subtidal forces. The average flushing time of the bay was calculated to be between 40 and 42 days. Provisions were also made to analyze the effect wind has on flushing times. Two scenarios were developed: scenario one was defined as a wind blowing to the east at 20-mph and scenario two was set up as a wind blowing to the north at 20-mph. The average flushing time for the easterly wind was determined to be 38 days and the northerly wind was estimated at 26 days.
Two-Dimensional Modeling
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Salinity Variation at Barnegat Inlet
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Velocity Variation at Barnegat Inlet 
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Velocity Variation at Barnegat Inlet  |
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2-D Full Domain  |
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