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Measuring and modelling temporal trends of 226Ra in waters of a Spanish estuary affected by the phosphate industry

Abstract

The presence and temporal evolution (1990–2001) of 226Ra in a tidal estuary affected by the phosphate industry has been investigated. Water samples collected in the course of four sep arate sampling campaigns were analysed for 226Ra content using a gas flow proportional coun ter following Ba coprecipitation. Two 226Ra sources have been identified: direct discharges from the industrial complex and run-off from a phosphogypsum pile. Although activity levels are similar, or even higher, than those found in other environments affected by the phosphate industry, there has been a general decrease in contamination since direct discharges ceased in 1998 due to new regulations from the EU. However, sediments are now acting as a source of Ra to the water column due to redissolution processes. A numerical model of the estuary has been developed to describe quantitatively the experimental results. The model solves the hydrodynamics and the dispersion equation of 226Ra including interactions with sediments. Model results are, in general, in good agreement with observations

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Measuring and modelling temporal trends of 226Ra in waters of a Spanish estuary affected by the phosphate industry

Author: Periáñez Rodríguez, Raúl
Publisher: Elsevier
Year: 2005
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2004.08.003
Source: https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/332c7c3f-d99c-472a-940c-bbef1f62ac67/download
Measu ing and modelling empo al ends o
226
Ra in wa e s o a Spanish es ua y affec ed
by he phospha e indus y
R. Pe ia
´n˜ez
*
Dp o. Fı
´sica Aplicada 1. EUITA, Uni e sidad de Se illa, C a U e a km 1, 41013-Se illa, Spain
Recei ed in e ised o m 27 July 2004; accep ed 16 Augus 2004
Abs ac
The p esence and empo al e olu ion (1990–2001) o
226
Ra in a idal es ua y affec ed by he
phospha e indus y has been in es iga ed. Wa e samples collec ed in he cou se o ou sep-
a a e sampling campaigns we e analysed o
226
Ra con en using a gas flow p opo ional coun-
e ollowing Ba cop ecipi a ion. Two
226
Ra sou ces ha e been iden ified: di ec discha ges
om he indus ial complex and un-off om a phosphogypsum pile. Al hough ac i i y le els
a e simila , o e en highe , han hose ound in o he en i onmen s affec ed by he phospha e
indus y, he e has been a gene al dec ease in con amina ion since di ec discha ges ceased in
1998 due o new egula ions om he EU. Howe e , sedimen s a e now ac ing as a sou ce o
Ra o he wa e column due o edissolu ion p ocesses. A nume ical model o he es ua y has
been de eloped o desc ibe quan i a i ely he expe imen al esul s. The model sol es he
hyd odynamics and he dispe sion equa ion o
226
Ra including in e ac ions wi h sedimen s.
Model esul s a e, in gene al, in good ag eemen wi h obse a ions.
2004 Else ie L d. All igh s ese ed.
Keywo ds: Radium; Odiel-Tin o es ua y; Phosphogypsum; Nume ical modelling; Hyd odynamic;
Sedimen
0141-1136/$ - see on ma e 2004 Else ie L d. All igh s ese ed.
doi:10.1016/j.ma en es.2004.08.003
*
Tel.: +34 954486474; ax: +34 954486436.
E-mail add ess: [email p o ec ed].
Ma ine En i onmen al Resea ch 60 (2005) 35–49
www.else ie .com/loca e/ma en e
MARINE
ENVIRONMENTAL
RESEARCH
1. In oduc ion
The Odiel and Tin o i e s, in he sou hwes o Spain, o m a ully mixed idal
es ua y which su ounds he own o Huel a (Fig. 1). Bo h i e s join a he Pun a
del Sebo. F om his poin , hey flow oge he o he A lan ic Ocean.
An indus ial complex, con aining a plan dedica ed o he p oduc ion o phos-
pho ic acid and phospha e e ilize s, is loca ed by he Odiel i e . I is well known
ha he phospha e ock used as a aw ma e ial by his indus y con ains significan
amoun s o na u al adionuclides, mos ly U, Th and Ra. The indus ial p ocessing o
he phospha e ock leads o a edis ibu ion o adioac i i y. Fo ins ance, du ing he
we p ocess o phospho ic acid p oduc ion, 86% o U and 70% o Th p esen in he
ock a e ans e ed o he phospho ic acid i sel , while 80% o he Ra con en ol-
lows he so-called phosphogypsum pa h (Guimond & Ha din, 1989). This is a o m
10 20 30 40 50 60
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
01234
Canal del Bu o
km
Tin o
Ri e
Odiel
Ri e
N
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 12
13
14
15
e ilize
complex
16
P.Sebo
HUELVA
phosphogypsumpiles
E
D
C
B
A
Fig. 1. Map o he a ea o he es ua y co e ed by he model. Numbe ed ci cles indica e he poin s whe e
wa e samples we e collec ed. Le e ed iangles indica e he poin s whe e cu en s measu emen s we e
a ailable. Uni s on he axes gi e he g id cell numbe . The sea is app oxima ely 1 km o he sou h o
poin 1.
36 R. Pe ia
´n˜ez / Ma ine En i onmen al Resea ch 60 (2005) 35–49
o impu e calcium sul a e emo ed as a p ecipi a e du ing he p ocess. Phosphogyp-
sum is usually disposed in o piles in he open en i onmen o discha ged in o i e s
o es ua ies, gi ing ise o a local adioac i e impac .
The aw ma e ial used in he plan is phospha e ock om Senegal, Mo occo and
Togo, which is ea ed by he we p ocess o ob ain phospho ic acid. Du ing 1990,
o ins ance, 2 ·10
6
ons we e p ocessed and 3 ·10
6
ons o phosphogypsum we e
p oduced. These was es we e pa ially eleased di ec ly in o he Odiel i e (20%),
wi h he emaining 80% conduc ed wi h wa e h ough a pipeline o phosphogypsum
piles loca ed by he Tin o i e (see Fig. 1), whe e such ma e ial is s o ed in he open
ai . The gypsum piles co e some 12 km
2
o he Tin o i e ma gin. Since 1998,
was es a e no eleased di ec ly in o he Odiel i e due o new egula ions om
he EU, al hough phosphogypsum is s ill being disposed o in he piles by he Tin o
i e .
A numbe o ecen s udies ha e in es iga ed he adioac i e impac o he phos-
pha e indus y in i s close en i onmen . Pa idaens and Vanma cke (2001) cha ed he
226
Ra con amina ion o he i e Laak (Belgium) and some a eas ha a e egula ly
flooded by he i e . Ha idasan, Paul, and Desai (2001) ound ha he su ace un-
off o wa e om a phosphogypsum pile placed by he Chi apuzha i e (India) ap-
pea s o be he majo pa hway o anspo o Ra o he i e . McCa ney, Da idson,
Howe, and Kea ing (2000) s udied he effec o a educ ion o he discha ges om a
phospha e plan in he le els o U and Th iso opes along he Cumb ian coas (UK),
while Poole, Alling on, and Denoon (1995) conduc ed a simila s udy bu o
226
Ra.
The effec o he phospha e indus y in he Odiel and Tin o es ua y has also been
in es iga ed. Ma ı
´nez-Agui e, Ga cı
´a-Leo
´n, and I ano ich (1994a) and Bolı
´ a ,
Ga cı
´a-Teno io, and Vaca (2000) s udied he p esence o U and Th iso opes o e di -
e en a eas o he es ua y. The p esence o
226
Ra in wa e s o he es ua y was in es-
iga ed by Pe ia
´n˜ez and Ga cı
´a-Leo
´n (1993), who de e mined
226
Ra ac i i y
concen a ions in wa e s collec ed om he es ua y in wo diffe en sampling cam-
paigns in July 1990 and Ma ch 1991.
The objec i e o he p esen wo k is o p o ide a summa y o he wo k ca ied ou
a he Uni e si y o Se ille conce ning he empo al e olu ion o he
226
Ra con am-
ina ion o he es ua y, p esen ing esul s o sampling campaigns ca ied ou be o e
and a e he change in he was e policy o he phospha e plan in 1998. To his effec ,
wo new sampling campaigns we e conduc ed; in Oc obe 1999 and Feb ua y 2001.
Resul s ob ained o he ou campaigns a e p esen ed oge he . Al hough he esul s
o he 1990 and 1991 samples ha e been published p e iously (Pe ia
´n˜ez & Ga cı
´a-
Leo
´n, 1993), hey will also be included he e o ease o compa ison. I has o be
poin ed ou ha sampling campaigns a e non-ideal o a empo al end s udy, since
ha e been ca ied ou in diffe en mon hs du ing he ou yea s. Ne e heless, some
in e es ing conclusions may be ob ained om hem, as will be shown.
In e p e a ion o expe imen al esul s is no an easy ask since a numbe o p oc-
esses affec concen a ions in he dissol ed phase. Cu en s due o idal oscilla ions
p oduce ad ec i e anspo o dissol ed adionuclides along he es ua y. Fu he -
mo e, u bulen diffusion is p esen and he e a e also ans e s o adionuclides be-
ween he dissol ed and solid phases (suspended ma e pa icles and bo om
R. Pe ia
´n˜ez / Ma ine En i onmen al Resea ch 60 (2005) 35–49 37
sedimen s). The solid phase may ac as a sink o as a sou ce o adionuclides o he
wa e column, depending on he concen a ion o adionuclides in each phase and on
he a es go e ning he adso p ion and elease eac ions. To accoun o hese p oc-
esses, a nume ical model o he es ua y, including all hese ac o s, has been de el-
oped. The model sol es he hyd odynamics o he es ua y and he dispe sion o
226
Ra, including he in e ac ions be ween he dissol ed and solid (bo om sedimen s)
phases. The model applica ion allows ep oduc ion o he expe imen al esul s o
he diffe en campaigns and an es ima e o be made o he inpu o
226
Ra om he
phosphogypsum piles o he Tin o i e .
De ails o he sampling and he expe imen al me hod o
226
Ra ex ac ion and
measu emen a e p esen ed in he nex sec ion. This is ollowed by he p esen a ion
and discussion o esul s. Finally, he model is desc ibed and applied.
2. Sampling and analysis
Sampling campaigns we e ca ied ou on 19 h July 1990, 5 h Ma ch 1991, 27 h
Oc obe 1999 and 14 h Feb ua y 2001, unde low wa e condi ions (1 h a e low
wa e in he case o 1991). Samples (see Fig. 1 o posi ions o he sampling poin s)
we e collec ed in 25 l plas ic bo les. The wa e was fil e ed soon a e sampling,
using 0.45 lm po e size Nuclepo e fil e s o emo e suspended pa icles. Fil e ed
samples we e acidified o pH 2–3 wi h HNO
3
o a oid he g ow h o mic oo ganisms
and minimize wa e –wall in e ac ions du ing s o age.
226
Ra ac i i ies we e de e mined om 0.5 l aliquo s o he wa e samples. A e
neu alisa ion o he fil a e using NH
4
OH, 5 mg o BaCl
2
and 20 ml o 1 M
H
2
SO
4
we e added o he sample. Unde hese condi ions Ba–Ra sul a e p ecipi a es
a e some 20 min o con inuous s i ing and mode a e hea ing. The p ecipi a e, con-
aining he adium, was collec ed by fil a ion h ough a 0.45 lm Millipo e fil e .
Ac i i y on he fil e was measu ed using a low backg ound gas flow p opo ional
coun e p e iously calib a ed o o al efficiency s. p ecipi a e mass hickness.
These p ocedu es ha e been widely alida ed and applied. Fu he de ails on he
me hod can be ound in Mo o
´n, Ga cı
´a-Teno io, Ga cı
´a-Mon an˜o, Ga cı
´a-Leo
´n,
and Madu ga (1986),Ma ı
´nez-Agui e and Ga cı
´a-Leo
´n (1994) and Pe ia
´n˜ez and
Ga cı
´a-Leo
´n (1993).
3. Expe imen al esul s
226
Ra concen a ions o he ou campaigns a e p esen ed in Table 1. The le els
measu ed in he fi s h ee campaigns a e b oadly simila (o somewha highe ) o
hose ound in o he i e s affec ed by e ilise indus ies. In he Boben Ri e (Slo e-
nia), o example,
226
Ra concen a ions o 40 mBq/l ha e been epo ed in wa e s
om he mos affec ed a ea (Kobal, B ajnik, Kaluza, & Vengus , 1990), while alues
in he ange 9–68 mBq/l ha e been epo ed o affec ed wa e s in he Schelde, Ne h-
e lands (Kos e e al., 1991). Mo e ecen ly,
226
Ra concen a ions o 30 mBq/l ha e
38 R. Pe ia
´n˜ez / Ma ine En i onmen al Resea ch 60 (2005) 35–49
been measu ed downs eam a phosphogypsum pile in he Chi apuzha Ri e , India
(Ha idasan e al., 2001).
In he case o he 1990 samples, he e is an in ense peak o 670 mBq/l a poin
8, loca ed close o he pipeline h ough which di ec discha ges o he Odiel i e
we e ca ied ou . This shows a clea local adioac i e impac in he es ua y due o
he ope a ion o he e ilize plan . Fo he emainde o he es ua y, ac i i y
concen a ions ange om 64 o 106 mBq/l, also sugges ing a clea con amina ion
i hey a e compa ed wi h alues epo ed abo e. Fo samples collec ed in 1991,
he peak in he icini y o he plan ou le is no appa en . Howe e , ac i i ies
anging om 21 o 66 mBq/l a e indica i e o con amina ion s ill being p esen ,
al hough he inpu om he plan o he Odiel i e seems less han du ing he
1990 sampling. I is in e es ing o no e ha he e is an ac i i y peak in sample
15, collec ed in he Tin o i e close o he phosphogypsum pile. I seems ha
some un-off om he phosphogypsum pile o he i e is occu ing and, as a
consequence,
226
Ra is being anspo ed o he i e , as has been ound in o he
en i onmen s (Ha idasan e al., 2001). This is ela ed o he ac ha he phos-
phogypsum s o age a ea is c ossed by a numbe o small s eams o na u al
and a ificial o igin (Pe ia
´n˜ez & Ga cı
´a-Leo
´n, 1993). Some o hese may be pos-
sible emnan s o he we lands o ally in eg a ed in he es ua ine sys em o he
i e s only 40 yea s ago, be o e indus ial ac i i y s a ed in he a ea (Bo ego
& Pendo
´n, 1988). P esumably, hese s eams a e capable o anspo ing ac i i y
om he s o age a ea o he main i e . This effec was also p obably aking
place in 1990, al hough i may ha e been masked by he high con amina ion p o-
duced by he la ge discha ges ha we e eleased in o he Odiel. This poin will be
in es iga ed la e wi h he nume ical model o he es ua y.
Table 1
226
Ra ac i i ies (mBq/l) in wa e samples o he Odiel and Tin o i e s
Sample 1990 1991 1999 2001
1 3.6 ± 0.6 9.3 ± 1.2
2 19.1 ± 1.5 8.9 ± 1.4
3 16.4 ± 1.8 9.2 ± 1.2
4 71 ± 2 54.2 ± 1.8 19.6 ± 2.1
5 82 ± 1 46.6 ± 1.6 16.4 ± 1.6 12.5 ± 1.9
6 13.0 ± 0.6 9.4 ± 1.7
7 106 ± 3 46.5 ± 1.6 17.9 ± 2.2 8.9 ± 2.1
8 670 ± 13 53 ± 2 11.0 ± 0.6 9.4 ± 1.1
9 106 ± 2 25.3 ± 1.2 11.3 ± 1.0 6.6 ± 0.6
10 86 ± 2 21.3 ± 1.4 6.8 ± 0.6 7.2 ± 0.5
11 15.9 ± 1.7 9.7 ± 0.9
12 64 ± 2 33.6 ± 1.5 45 ± 5 10 ± 4
13 69.3 ± 1.9 36.0 ± 1.4 35.3 ± 1.8 8.4 ± 0.6
14 29 ± 4 9.7 ± 1.0
15 67 ± 1 65.6 ± 1.9 25.1 ± 2.3 8.6 ± 0.9
16 14.0 ± 0.9 8.6 ± 1.0
Unce ain ies (1 ) a e due o coun ing s a is ics in sample measu emen s and in de ec o calib a ion.
Emp y spaces mean ha such samples we e no collec ed.
R. Pe ia
´n˜ez / Ma ine En i onmen al Resea ch 60 (2005) 35–49 39

Ac i i y le els de ec ed in he 1999 campaign, anging om 3.6 o 45 mBq/l, a e
lowe han hose ob ained in 1990 and 1991. This is likely o be ela ed o he in o-
duc ion o s ic e was e policies in 1998, which esul ed in he cessa ion o di ec dis-
cha ges in o he Odiel Ri e . As a consequence, he main sou ce o
226
Ra o he
es ua y ha yea mus ha e been un-off om he phosphogypsum pile. Tha his
is he case is e idenced by he highe concen a ions obse ed along he Tin o Ri e
in compa ison o he Odiel Ri e , and by he ela i e uni o mi y o measu ed con-
cen a ions in he la e . The pa e n is e y diffe en om ha obse ed in p e ious
yea s, when di ec discha ges we e aking place. Ne e heless, concen a ions along
he Odiel Ri e a e s ill highe han hose ound in non-pe u bed i e s, which a e
ypically in he ange 0.09–3.4 mBq/l (Bha & K ishnaswamy, 1969; Rona & U y,
1952). The enhanced concen a ions can be a ibu ed o he edissolu ion o
226
Ra om a pool o unde lying con amina ed sedimen s. Indeed, he e is now
s ong e idence o sugges ha con amina ed sedimen s can become a sou ce o
emobilised adionuclides when he ex e nal inpu is educed and deso p ion eac-
ions domina e o e adso p ion (Cook, MacKenzie, McDonald, & Jones, 1997;
McCa ney e al., 2000). This hypo hesis will be s udied in mo e de ail wi h he help
o he nume ical model desc ibed below.
Ac i i y le els de ec ed in samples collec ed in 2001 a e a he uni o m o e all he
es ua y, anging om 6.6 o 12.5 mBq/l. Unlike he 1999 da a, he e is no e idence o
un-off o
226
Ra om he phosphogypsum pile o he Tin o Ri e . This is no unex-
pec ed, gi en ha ea h dikes we e buil a ound he piles o p e en un-off in he pe -
iod be ween he wo sampling campaigns. I may, he e o e, be assumed ha he only
impo an sou ce o
226
Ra o he wa e s o he es ua y a he ime o his las cam-
paign is emobilisa ion o his adionuclide om p e iously con amina ed sedimen s.
4. Model desc ip ion
The sys em unde s udy is di ided in o a numbe o g id cells o compa men s.
Two phases a e p esen in each g id cell: dissol ed and ac i e bo om sedimen s (pa -
icles wi h a diame e <62.5 lm). The ac i e sedimen s co espond o muddy sedi-
men s, ollowing he Wen wo h scale o sedimen g ain size (see o ins ance
Pugh, 1987). La ge g ain sizes a e no conside ed since i has been shown ha i -
ually all he adioac i i y is associa ed wi h he muddy sedimen (As on, Assinde ,
& Kelly, 1985).
Suspended ma e pa icles ha e no been conside ed in he model, and hus dep-
osi ion p ocesses and e osion o he sedimen ha e been neglec ed. This app oxima-
ion is used since p e ious calcula ions ha e shown ha he adionuclide adso p ion
capaci y o suspended ma e , gi en he ypical suspended ma e concen a ions in
he es ua y (maximum concen a ions o he o de o 50 ppm) is e y small com-
pa ed wi h ha o he sedimen (Pe ia
´n˜ez, Ab il, & Ga cı
´a-Leo
´n, 1996a). Mo eo e ,
he e osion-deposi ion a es, ob ained om a suspended ma e model o he es ua y
(Pe ia
´n˜ez e al., 1996a), a e also small (10
2
g/cm
2
/yea ). Thus, as an app oxima-
ion, i has been conside ed ha he mos impo an phases con olling adionuclide
40 R. Pe ia
´n˜ez / Ma ine En i onmen al Resea ch 60 (2005) 35–49
anspo a e he dissol ed phase and he bo om sedimen . This app oxima ion
seems ealis ic gi en he gene ally good ag eemen be ween model esul s and obse -
a ions (see below).
Adso p ion and deso p ion eac ions a e desc ibed in e ms o kine ic ans e
coefficien s. Thus, he adso p ion p ocess ( ans e o adionuclides om wa e o
he sedimen ) will be go e ned by a coefficien k
1
and he in e se p ocess (deso p ion
o he dissol ed phase) by a coefficien k
2
.
The adso p ion p ocess is a su ace phenomenon ha depends on he su ace o
pa icles pe wa e olume uni in o he g id cell. Following he no a ion o Pe ia
´n˜ez,
Ab il, and Ga cı
´a-Leo
´n (1996b), he adso p ion coefficien is w i en as:
k1¼ 1SE;ð1Þ
whe e S
E
is he exchange su ace and
1
is a pa ame e wi h dimensions o eloci y,
deno ed as he exchange eloci y.
As a fi s app oach, assuming sphe ical sedimen pa icles and a s ep unc ion o
he g ain size dis ibu ion o pa icles, i can be shown (Pe ia
´n˜ez e al., 1996b) ha
SE¼3L /

H ;ð2Þ
whe e 
is he mean adius o sedimen pa icles, His he o al wa e dep h, Lis he
a e age mixing dep h ( he dis ance o which he dissol ed phase pene a es he sedi-
men ), gi es he ac ion o ac i e sedimen and /is a co ec ion ac o ha akes
in o accoun ha no all he exchange su ace o he sedimen pa icle is in con ac
wi h wa e since pa o i can be hidden by o he pa icles ( hus, i is also ela ed
o sedimen po osi y). Consequen ly, i is implici ly assumed ha adionuclide con-
cen a ions in sedimen po e wa e s, conside ing a sedimen laye o hickness Linside
which he sedimen is homogeneous, a e equal o hose in he wa e column. On he
o he hand, diffusion o adionuclides o deepe sedimen laye s has been neglec ed
gi en he ime scale o he simula ions ca ied ou . The ans e coefficien k
2
is con-
side ed cons an .
O cou se, dissol ed adionuclides will be anspo ed along he es ua y by ad ec i e
and diffusi e p ocesses. The e o e, he hyd odynamic equa ions mus be sol ed oo.
4.1. Hyd odynamic equa ions and physical cha ac e is ics o he es ua y
The 2D shallow wa e hyd odynamic equa ions a e (see o ins ance Pugh, 1987):
oz
o þo
ox½ðDþzÞuþo
oy½ðDþzÞ ¼0;ð3Þ
ou
o þuou
oxþ ou
oyþgoz
oxX þKuffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
u2þ 2
p
Dþz¼0;ð4Þ
o
o þuo
oxþ o
oyþgoz
oyþXuþK ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
u2þ 2
p
Dþz¼0;ð5Þ
R. Pe ia
´n˜ez / Ma ine En i onmen al Resea ch 60 (2005) 35–49 41
whe e uand a e he dep h a e aged wa e eloci ies along he xand yaxis, Dis he
dep h o wa e below he mean sea le el, zis he displacemen o he wa e su ace
abo e he mean sea le el measu ed upwa ds, Xis he Co iolis pa ame e
(X=2wsinb, whe e wis he ea h o a ional angula eloci y and bis la i ude), g
is accele a ion due o g a i y and Kis he bed ic ion coefficien . The use o a 2D
model is jus ified since he es ua y is e y shallow (maximum dep h a ound 19 m)
and well mixed e ically. Mo eo e , he i e flows a e e y low and a as dispe -
sion o esh wa e in o a much la ge olume o sal wa e occu s (Bo ego & Pen-
do
´n, 1988). The Odiel Ri e flows usually ange om less han 1 m
3
/s du ing he
summe o some 70 m
3
/s in No embe . In he case o he Tin o i e he co espond-
ing flows a e e en smalle , wi h some 3 m
3
/s in No embe and no flow du ing he
summe mon hs. This mixing be ween i e and sea wa e akes place ups eam o
he s udied a ea, and o his eason ho izon al g adien s o salini y a e no consid-
e ed he e. Indeed, elec ical conduc i i y along he es ua y is cons an and ypical o
sea wa e , wi h an a e age alue o 37.1 ± 0.5 mS/cm (Bolı
´ a e al., 2000).
The solu ion o hese equa ions p o ides he ins an aneous alues o he wo com-
ponen s o he cu en and he wa e ele a ion o e he model domain, in o ma ion
equi ed o sol e he ad ec ion–diffusion dispe sion equa ion o dissol ed
adionuclides.
4.2. Radionuclide equa ions
The equa ion ha gi es he empo al e olu ion o ac i i y concen a ions in he
dissol ed phase, C
d
(Bq/m
3
), is:
oðHCdÞ
o þoðuHCdÞ
oxþoð HCdÞ
oy¼o
oxHKD
oCd
ox

þo
oyHKD
oCd
oy

k1CdHþk2AsLqs /;ð6Þ
whe e k
1
is gi en by Eqs. (1) and (2), o al dep h is H=D+z,K
D
is he diffusion
coefficien , A
s
(Bq/kg) is ac i i y concen a ion in he ac i e sedimen and q
s
is he
sedimen bulk densi y exp essed in kg/m
3
. The ex e nal sou ce o adionuclides
should be added o his equa ion whe e necessa y.
The equa ion o he empo al e olu ion o ac i i y concen a ion in he ac i e
sedimen ac ion is:
oAs
o ¼k1
CdH
Lqs k2As/:ð7Þ
4.3. Compu a ional scheme
The hyd odynamic equa ions a e sol ed using an explici fini e diffe ence scheme.
The g id cell size is Dx=Dy= 125 m and he ime s ep is fixed as D = 6 s. The CFL
c i e ion is sa isfied wi h hese selec ions. Wa e ele a ions a e specified o each ime
s ep along he sou he n bounda y om obse a ions. A adia ion condi ion is ap-
42 R. Pe ia
´n˜ez / Ma ine En i onmen al Resea ch 60 (2005) 35–49
plied along he no he n and eas e n open bounda ies. Along he coas , he cu en
componen ha is no mal o he bounda y is se o ze o. Wa e dep hs we e in o-
duced o each g id cell om ba hyme ic maps.
Ins ead o sol ing he hyd odynamic equa ions simul aneously wi h he dispe -
sion equa ions, he hyd odynamic model is calib a ed and alida ed in ad ance o
speed up simula ions. Once he hyd odynamics ha e been alida ed, s anda d idal
analysis is used o de e mine he idal cons an s (ampli ude and phase) o each
g id cell. These cons an s a e e alua ed o bo h componen s o he flow (uand
) and o he wa e ele a ion (z), and o all he idal cons i uen s included in
he model. Once he idal cons an s a e known, compu a ion o flow and wa e ele-
a ion jus in ol es he calcula ion and addi ion o a ew cosine e ms since he
cons an s a e s o ed in files ha a e ead by he dispe sion model. The ne esidual
flow o e he es ua y mus also be calcula ed by he hyd odynamic model and
added o he ins an aneous flow ob ained om he idal cons an s, since a esidual
anspo canno be gene a ed wi h he pu e ha monic cu en s ha a e gi en by
he idal analysis.
The Mono onic Second O de Ups eam (MSOU) explici scheme is used o sol e
he ad ec i e anspo in he dispe sion equa ion o dissol ed adionuclides. A sec-
ond o de accu acy scheme has also been used o sol e he diffusion e ms. I is con-
side ed ha he e is no flux o adionuclides h ough land bounda ies. Along open
bounda ies, he bounda y condi ion desc ibed in Pe ia
´n˜ez (1998) is applied.
5. Model esul s
Only he wo main idal cons i uen s, M
2
and S
2
, ha e been included. As will be
shown below, his is enough o ha e a ealis ic ep esen a ion o he dispe sion pa -
e ns o
226
Ra.
The calib a ion o he hyd odynamic model consis ed o selec ing he op imum
alue o he bed ic ion coefficien K. A e some model uns, i was selec ed as
K= 0.040 o he Tin o i e and K= 0.005 o he es o he es ua y. Wi h hese
selec ions, a easonable ag eemen be ween obse ed and compu ed cu en s has
been achie ed. A compa ison be ween obse ed and compu ed magni ude and di ec-
ion o he maximum cu en s o se e al loca ions in he es ua y (see Fig. 1)isp e-
sen ed in Table 2 o a si ua ion o medium ides (coefficien 74.4). Once ha wa e
ci cula ion is ep oduced by he hyd odynamic model, esul s a e ea ed wi h s and-
a d idal analysis o calcula e he idal cons an s o be used by he dispe sion model
o compu e cu en and wa e ele a ion a any posi ion and ins an o ime, as dis-
cussed p e iously.
A alue ha depends on a ho izon al leng h scale (se as he g id spacing) is cho-
sen o he diffusion coefficien . Indeed, ollowing B e on and Salomon (1995) such
coefficien was aken as 0.61 m
2
/s.
Since he dispe sion model is no es ic ed by he CFL s abili y c i e ion, he ime
s ep in he dispe sion model has been inc eased o 30 s. Howe e , s abili y condi ions
imposed by he dispe sion equa ion a e sa isfied wi h his alue.
R. Pe ia
´n˜ez / Ma ine En i onmen al Resea ch 60 (2005) 35–49 43