| Title |
Evaluating Effect of Density Flow from Upstream on Vertical Distribution of Water Quality at the Paldang Reservoir |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.15681/KSWE.2019.35.6.557 |
| Keywords |
Density flow; Electrical conductivity; Paldang; Stratification; Water quality |
| Abstract |
Paldang is a river reservoir in the Midwest of Korea, which is a drinking water source for the metropolitan area. Since the Paldang Reservoir is shallow, and has a short hydraulic residence time, its water quality is directly impacted by two incoming rivers, the north Han River (NHR) and the south Han River (SHR). The NHR has different seasonal patterns of water temperature from the SHR because the NHR is greatly impacted by the discharge water from upstream dams. The electrical conductivity (EC) and other material concentrations of the SHR are usually higher than those of the NHR because its basin is limestone-based. The difference in water temperature in the two rivers causes density flow, and the distribution of the EC within the reservoir can be an indicator for monitoring density flow. From the vertical gradient of the EC at the dam site, from spring to fall, it was confirmed that the SHR flowed into the upper layer, and the NHR flowed into the lower layer, and vice versa at other times. The relative difference (RD) of the EC between the upper layer and the lower layer at the dam site was used as an indicator for density flow. The RD of the EC showed a very significant correlation with the RD of total organic carbon (r = 0.70, p < 0.001) and the RD of total nitrogen (r = 0.58, p < 0.01). This relationship is based on the assumption that the difference in electrical conductivity and water quality between the SHR and the NHR is constant. However, in many cases this assumption is inconsistent. Thus, further study is needed on more suitable indicators to evaluate the impact of density flow on water quality. |