Numerical study on the influences of Nanliu River runoff and tides on water age in Lianzhou Bay

The concept of water age is applied to calculate the timescales of the transport processes of freshwater in Lianzhou Bay,using a model based on ECOMSED.In this study,water age is defined as the time that has elapsed since the water parcel enters the Nanliu River.The results show that the mean age at a specified position and the runoff of the Nanliu River are well correlated and can be approximately expressed by a natural logarithmic function.During the neap tide,it takes 70,60 and 40 days in the dry,normal and rainy seasons for water to travel from the mouth of the Nanliu River to the northeast of Lianzhou Bay,respectively,which is not beneficial to water exchange in the bay.Tides significantly influence the model results;it takes five less days for the tracer to be transported from the mouth of the Nanliu River to the north of Guantouling during the spring tide than during the neap tide.

A Comparative Study of CART and PTM for Modelling Water Age

CART(Constituent-oriented age and residence time theory) and PTM(Particle-tracking method) are two widely used numerical methods to calculate water age. These two methods are essentially equivalent in theory but their results may be different in practice. The difference of the two methods was evaluated by applying them to calculate water age in an idealized one-dimensional domain. The model results by the two methods are consistent with each other in the case with either spatially uniform flow field or spatially uniform diffusion coefficient. If we allow the spatial variation in horizontal diffusion, a term called pseudo displacement arising from the spatial variation of diffusion coefficient likely plays an important role for the PTM to obtain accurate water age. In particular, if the water particle is released at a place where the diffusion is not the weakest, the water age calculated by the PTM without pseudo displacement is much larger than that by the CART. This suggests that the pseudo displacement cannot be neglected in the PTM to calculate water age in a realistic ocean. As an example, we present its potential importance in the Bohai Sea where the diffusion coefficient varies spatially and greatly.

Numerical simulation of the impacts of water level variation on water age in Dahuofang Reservoir

The transport timescales were investigated in response to water level variation under different constant flow rates in Dahuofang Reservoir. The concept of water age was applied to quantifY the transport timescales. A three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was developed based on the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code （EFDC）. The model was calibrated for water surface elevation and temperature profiles from April 1, 2008 to October 31, 2008. Comparisons of observed and modeled data showed that the model reproduced the water level fluctuation and thermal stratification during warm season and vertical mixing during cold season fairly well. The calibrated model was then applied to investigate the response of water age to water level changes in Dahuofang Reservoir. Model results showed that water age increases from confluence toward dam zone. In the vertical direction, the water age is relatively uniform at upstream and stratifies further downstream, with a larger value at bottom layer than at surface layer. Comparisons demonstrated that water level variation has a significant impact on transport timescales in the reservoir. The impact of water level drawdown on water age is stronger at bottom layer than at surface layer. Under high flow conditions, the water age decreases 0-20days at surface layer and 15-25 days at bottom layer. Under mean flow conditions, the water age decreases 20-30 days at surface layer and 30-50 days at bottom layer. Furthermore, the impact is minor in the upstream and increases further downstream. The vertical stratification of water age weakens as the water level decreases. This study provides a numerical tool to quantify the transport timescale in Dahuofang Reservoir and supports adaptive management of regional water resources by local authorities.

Numerical study of water age influenced by tide and runoff in Daliaohe Estuary in China

Based on the concept of the age, the water transport characteristics as the response to the runoff and the tide in Daliaohe Estuary in China are studied under different hydrodynamic conditions using a three-dimensional convection-diffusion model. The results show that the relationship between the average age at a specific position and the runoff could be expressed by a power function approximately. In the river channel, the runoff controls the water transport： it might take about 52 d, 27 d and 15 d for the water parcel to be transported from Sanchahe to the mouth during the dry, normal and rainy seasons, respectively. Outside the mouth, the tide is dominant even though the difference between the spring tide and the neap tide is less than 5 d, and the water parcel transports mainly along the northwest direction through the West Waterway and the southeast direction through the East Waterway. A significant age stratification emerges in the vicinity of the mouth, in which there exists a strong interaction between the tide and the runoff, and the age differences between the surface and the bottom could reach 7 d.

Molecular analysis of bacterial community in the tap water with different water ages of a drinking water distribution system

Bacterial community in the drinking water distribution system （DWDS） was regulated by multiple environmental factors, many of which varied as a function of water age. In this study, four water samples with different water ages, including finished water （FW, 0 d） and tap water （TW） [TWI （1 d）, TW2（2 d） and TW3（3 d）], were collected along with the mains of a practical DWDS, and the bacterial community was investigated by high-throughput sequencing technique. Results indicated that the residual chlorine declined with the increase of water age, accompanied by the increase of dissolved organic matter, total bacteria counts and bacterial diversity （Shannon）. For bacterial community composition, although Proteobacteria phylum （84.12%-97.6%） and Alphaproteobacteria class （67.42c/,~93.09%） kept dominate, an evident regular was observed at the order level. In detail, the relative abundance of most of other residual orders increased with different degrees from the start to the end of the DWDS, while a downward trend was uniquely observed in terms of Rhizobiales, who was inferred to be chlorine-resistant and be helpful for inhibiting pipes corrosion. Moreover, some OTUs were found to be closely related with species possessing pathogenicity and chlorine-resistant ability, so it was recommended that the use of agents other than chlorine or agents that can act synergically with chlorine should be developed for drinking water disinfection. This paper revealed bacterial community variations along the mains of the DWDS and the result was helpful for understanding bacterial ecology in the DWDS.

Assessment on reliability of water quality in water distribution systems

Water leaving the treatment works is usually of a high quality but its properties change during the transportation stage. Increasing awareness of the quality of the service provided within the water industry today and assessing the reliability of the water quality in a distribution system has become a major significance for decision on system operation based on water quality in distribution networks. Using together a water age model, a chlorine decay model and a model of acceptable maximum water age can assess the reliability of the water quality in a distribution system. First, the nodal water age values in a certain complex distribution system can be calculated by the water age model. Then, the acceptable maximum water age value in the distribution system is obtained based on the chlorine decay model. The nodes at which the water age values are below the maximum value are regarded as reliable nodes. Finally, the reliability index on the percentile weighted by the nodal demands reflects the reliability of the water quality in the distribution system. The approach has been applied in a real water distribution network. The contour plot based on the water age values determines a surface of the reliability of the water quality. At any time, this surface is used to locate high water age but poor reliability areas, which identify parts of the network that may be of poor water quality. As a result, the contour water age provides a valuable aid for a straight insight into the water quality in the distribution system.

Modeling of residual chlorine in water distribution system

Water quality within water distribution system may vary with both location and time. Water quality models are used to predict the spatial and temporal variation of water quality throughout water system. A model of residual chlorine decay in water pipe has been developed, given the consumption of chlorine in reactions with chemicals in bulk water, bio films on pipe wall, in corrosion process, and the mass transport of chlorine from bulk water to pipe wall. Analytical methods of the flow path from water sources to the observed point and the water age of every observed node were proposed. Model is used to predict the decay of residual chlorine in an actual distribution system. Good agreement between calculated and measured values was obtained.

Radium isotopes assess water mixing processes and its application in the Zhujiang River estuary

Radium （Ra） isotopes are useful for tracing water mass transport and examining estuarine hydrological dynamics. In this study, several hydrological parameters, nutrients, ehlorophyll-a （ehl-a）, suspended particulate matter （SPM） and Ra isotopes （223Ra, 224Ra and 226Ra） of surface waters of the Zhujiang （Pearl） River estuary （ZRE） were measured. This was done for both winter （December） and summer （July） seasons, to quantitatively understand the seasonal characteristics of river plume flow rate and trajectories, as well as the ecological response. The results show that Ra concentrations in summer were higher than in winter, especially Z24Ra （about 2-5 times higher）. The spatial distribution of three Ra isotopes and relative Ra water ages indicated that river water mainly flushed out of ZRE through the western side in winter, where the water transport was about 5 days faster than in the eastern zone. In summer, diluted river water expended to the east side, resulting in fairly similar water ages for both sides of the river mouth. Although nutrients were higher during the summer season, lower chl-a concentrations indicated that reduced primary production might be caused by high SPM （low light penetration）. The results obtained from this study will provide knowledge needed for effectively developing and managing the ZRE.

The Spatial Distribution of Nitrite Concentrations in a Large Drinking Water Distribution System in Finland

Nitrite in drinking water is a potential health hazard and monitoring its concentrations in distributed water is of paramount importance. When monochloramine is used in secondary disinfection in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), nitrite is often formed by nitrification in the biofilm on the inner surface of distribution pipes. This article attempts to identify areas with a risk of increased nitrite concentrations as well as the main reasons leading to nitrite occurrence in a large urban DWDS in Finland using spatial inspection of obligatory monitoring data. Nitrification was found to occur throughout the study area, though nitrite was not increased everywhere. Instead, nitrite was increased close to the water treatment plants (WTPs) and was connected to fresh drinking water than stagnant drinking water. Temperature effects on nitrite concentrations were surprisingly insignificant, even though it is well known that nitrification reactions are affected by temperature. The temperature dependence of ammonium and total residual chlorine was more significant than the dependence of nitrite. The findings of this study emphasize the need to monitor nitrite concentrations close to WTPs.

Influence of Superplasticizers on Early Age Drying Shrinkage of Cement Paste with the Same Consistency

The influence of superplasticizer（SP） on the early age drying shrinkage of cement paste with the same consistency was investigated. To conduct the test, which lasted for 72 hours, three paste mixtures were used for comparison. The 72 hours early age drying shrinkage staring from the initial setting time was measured by a clock gauge. The pore size distribution was measured by Mercury Intrusion Method. The surface tension of capillary simulation liquid and mass loss of paste were also measured. The experimental results showed that the addition of SP increased the early drying shrinkage greatly. The ratios of water evaporation and the total free water in mixtures added with SPs showed great differences. SPs fined the capillary pores of paste, and the volume of pore with diameter within 50 nm was well consistent with shrinkage rate. The addition of SPs did not raise the capillary liquid surface tension. It showed that with the volume of pore with diameter within 50 nm and the ratio of water evaporation and the total free water a tolerable shrinkage result of paste added with SP could be predicted, and the elastic modulus could have an influence on the early shrinkage. These results have never been proposed before.