Tag Archives: mesoscale model

The mesoscale sediment transport due to technical activities in the deep sea

J.A. Jankowski and W. Zielke

Abstract. This paper presents a mesoscale model for sediment transport in the deep sea resulting from technical activities such as manganese nodule mining. The model includes the temporal variability of ambient currents, the modification of the water density due to suspended sediments (density driven flow), bottom boundary-layer effects, and the influence of flocculation on the sediment settling velocity. It yields the three-dimensional sediment concentration and the bottom blanketing for time periods of up to a few weeks in areas of up to a few hundred square kilometers. The model also allows simulation of the mobilization, sorption and the transport of heavy metals. Continue reading →

Numerical modeling of suspended sediment due to deep-sea mining

J.A. Jankowski, A. Malcherek and W. Zielke

Abstract. A numerical model was developed in order to estimate the residence time of a sediment plume generated by potential deep-sea mining activities with special attention to discharges in the bottom boundary layer. The site of the Disturbance and Recolonization Experiment (DISCOL) in the Peru Basin in the southeast Pacific Ocean was chosen as a case study. Continue reading →

Numerical modelling of sediment transport caused by deep sea mining

W.Zielke and J.A. Jankowski, J. Sündermann and J. Segschneider

Abstract. The paper describes the application of mesoscale and large scale models in order to simulate the impact of deep-sea mining sediment discharges on the marine environment. The modelling efforts are cross-linked with the experiments of the TUSCH research group which provide supporting data. The results yield time-dependent, three-dimensional concentration fields, the amount of redeposition and the plume residence time. The near bed emissions impact mainly at a local scale, whereas more widespread contamination due to discharges at the free surface or in some intermediate depth cannot be excluded. Continue reading →

Numerical modeling of sediment transport processes caused by deep sea mining discharges.

J.A. Jankowski, A. Malcherek and W. Zielke

Abstract. A numerical model was developed in order to estimate the residence time of a sediment plume generated by deep-sea mining activities. The model is capable of simulating density currents in a sediment-laden ocean bottom boundary layer. The numerical model was verified using an analytical solution, which does not take into account the above mentioned effects. The results show that due to density differences the residence time of a plume is reduced substantially. Continue reading →