SDG Detail

ENVENG 746 : Surface Water Quality Modelling

Postgraduate course

Project description

This class will teach students to develop, apply, and critically evaluate surface water quality models. Modelling problems will typically address how natural and engineered aquatic systems respond to pollutant loads and other environmental factors. The course will first teach students to model generic substances within different settings (rivers, lakes, etc.), subject to reaction, settling, diffusion, dispersion, volatilisation, and advection. The course will then cover the more complex and interrelated dynamics associated with specific water quality constituents of common management interest (e.g., dissolved oxygen, nutrients, temperature, algae). The course will provide students with the structure and fundamental principles to expand models to other potentially relevant substances. Students will use the STELLA Systems Modelling software to simulate water quality processes. At the end of the course, students will be aware of water quality parameters, have a knowledge of chemical and biological transformations in water, be able to formulate mathematical equations and to develop computational models, and be able to simulate the response of aquatic systems under contaminant loadings. Students can use the modelling skills developed in this course to assess the impact on water quality and solve a wide range of problems they face as practising environmental engineers

Year 2022

Location New Zealand

Organization University of Auckland

Project aims

Project outcome

By the end of this course, students will be able to: Develop mass balance models for water quality in lakes and rivers (Capability 1, 2 and 3) Analyse and evaluate the steady state and dynamic response of aquatic bodies to point and distributed loadings (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 4) Create and refine mathematical models for chemical transformation and mass transfer processes occurring in aquatic bodies (Capability 1 and 3) Critically evaluate the environmental impact by applying mathematical formulations for biochemical processes occurring in waterbodies (Capability 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6)