Numerical computation of the residence time related to the water renewal in the Nador Lagoon

Abstract

In this work, an unstructured finite volume solver is used to compute the residence time in the Nador lagoon (Morocco). The modeling system consists of the well-established shallow water system including the bathymetric forces, friction terms, Cori-olis forces, wind stress, and momentum diffusion terms. To model the passive tracer transport an advection-diffusion equation is used. The solver is based on a Non-Homogeneous Riemann solver that can handle topography variations. The objective of this study is to compute the mean residence time in the Nador lagoon considering several scenarios with respect to the pass between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nador lagoon. In particular, we propose a new inlet that can substantially reduce the water residence time in the lagoon.