NUMERICAL MODEL STUDY OF TIDAL FLUSHING ALONG A NARROW CHANNEL

Two-dimensional finite-element numerical models are developed to investigate the tidal flushingcharacteristics of a narrow channel along Abu Dhabi coast. The tidal hydrodynamic characteristics of the narrow channel are assessed for two different conditions, existing baseline and proposed partial blockage of the channel for bridge constructions. The boundary conditions for these local scale models are extracted from a large scale numerical model covering entire Abu Dhabi coast, developed in-house. After validating the local model against the large scale model, the effect of the partial blockage along the channel on hydrodynamic and flushing are assessed. The model results show that the tidal flow velocities are dropped down due the partial blockage that eventually delayed the natural tidal flushing by 2 days in the narrow channel.