Sludge disposal in coastal waters - mathematical modelling of the transport of heavy metals in Liverpool Bay

A new two-layer, two-dimensional in-plan mathematical model was developed to simulate tidal flow, circulations and heavy metal transport in coastal waters. The model was set up to simulate conditions in the Eastern Irish Sea, Liverpool Bay and the Mersey Estuary using three interactively nested grids with element sizes of 2700m, 900m and 300m, respectively. The model was used to simulate the physical dispersal of recently discharged zinc, irreversibly adsorbed onto marine mud in suspension and on the surface layers of the bed of Liverpool Bay and its adjacent estuaries, during a repeating mean tide cycle.