Numerical Modeling of the Aveiro Inlet Dynamics

Abstract

The dynamics of the Aveiro lagoon is assessed through a combination of field data and numerical modeling. An unstructured grid hydrodynamic model is set-up for this system for the first time and its results compare well with data and with a ellestablished model. The model and the data are then used to analyze the propagation of the tide in the lagoon and the variability of tidal asymmetry in the upper and lower lagoon. The lagoon shifts from mild ebb-dominance at the inlet to strong flooddominance in the upper lagoon. This variability may be responsible for the importing capacity suggested by the sediment particle model, estimated at 10% of the littoral drift. On the contrary, a reliminary application of the morphodynamics modeling system MORSYS2D suggests a net export capacity. These opposite results maybe due to the tidal excursion of sediments in the system, which is much larger than the scale of variability of the hydrodynamics.