Sewage outfall plume dispersion observations with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2005

Authors

Ramos, P (Author) Other; Cunha, SR (Author) Other; Neves, MV (Author) Other; Pereira, FL (Author) FEUP; Quintaneiro, I (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Water Science and Technology

Vol. 52

Pages: 283-290

ISSN: 0273-1223

Publisher: IWA PUBLISHING

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 7 Citations

Scopus - 7 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Environmental engineering

CORDIS: Technological sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-000-6XH

DOI: 10.2166/wst.2005.0485

Abstract (EN): This work represents one of the first successful applications of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for interdisciplinary coastal research. A monitoring mission to study the shape and estimate the initial dilution of the S. Jacinto sewage outfall plume using an AUV was performed on July 2002. An efficient sampling strategy enabling greater improvements in spatial and temporal range of detection demonstrated that the sewage effluent plume can be clearly traced using naturally occurring tracers in the wastewater. The outfall plume was found at the surface highly influenced by the weak stratification and low currents. Dilution varying with distance downstream was estimated from the plume rise over the outfall diffuser until a nearly constant value of 130:1, 60 m from the diffuser, indicating the near field end. Our results demonstrate that AUVs can provide high-quality measurements of physical properties of effluent plumes in a very effective manner and valuable considerations about the initial mixing processes under real oceanic conditions can be further investigated.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 8