An evaluation of the gravel transport capabilities of MIKE II case study - the Fraser river Gravel Reach

• Main Author: Crofton, Jeffrey Bruce
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/15020

The morphological capabilities of the one-dimensional software package MIKE 11 were evaluated using the Fraser River Gravel Reach as a case study. A previously developed 'fixed bed' hydrodynamic model (UMA, 2001) was used as the basis of the MIKE 11 morphological model to evaluate if it could be easily altered to provide this functionality. The evaluation found that MIKE 11 is not nearly far enough along in its development to perform sediment transport calculation to any high degree of accuracy when applied to a looped network of the complexity of the Fraser River. Many parts of the software were either found to be faulty or unable to handle the complexity of branched flow. A secondary objective of the investigation attempted to apply the morphological routines of MIKE 1T on a modified river network that included only the Fraser main stem. Initial results look promising, and this is proposed for further study. An in-depth discussion of the attempts at model development and problems encountered is presented as well as recommendations for future advancements that would greatly improve the user interface and model computational characteristics.