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Simulations of the flow in the Mahakam river–lake–delta system, Indonesia

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Abstract

Large rivers often present a river–lake–delta system, with a wide range of temporal and spatial scales of the flow due to the combined effects of human activities and various natural factors, e.g., river discharge, tides, climatic variability, droughts, floods. Numerical models that allow for simulating the flow in these river–lake–delta systems are essential to study them and predict their evolution under the impact of various forcings. This is because they provide information that cannot be easily measured with sufficient temporal and spatial detail. In this study, we combine one-dimensional sectional-averaged (1D) and two-dimensional depth-averaged (2D) models, in the framework of the finite element model SLIM, to simulate the flow in the Mahakam river–lake–delta system (Indonesia). The 1D model representing the Mahakam River and four tributaries is coupled to the 2D unstructured mesh model implemented on the Mahakam Delta, the adjacent Makassar Strait, and three lakes in the central part of the river catchment. Using observations of water elevation at five stations, the bottom friction for river and tributaries, lakes, delta, and adjacent coastal zone is calibrated. Next, the model is validated using another period of observations of water elevation, flow velocity, and water discharge at various stations. Several criteria are implemented to assess the quality of the simulations, and a good agreement between simulations and observations is achieved in both calibration and validation stages. Different aspects of the flow, i.e., the division of water at two bifurcations in the delta, the effects of the lakes on the flow in the lower part of the system, the area of tidal propagation, are also quantified and discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted under the auspices of the project “Taking up the challenges of multi-scale marine modelling” which is funded by the Communauté Française de Belgique under contract ARC 10/15-028 (Actions de Recherche Concertées) with the aim of developing and using SLIM. Computational resources have been provided by the high-performance computing facilities of the Université catholique de Louvain (CISM/UCL) and the Consortium des Equipements de Calcul Intensif en Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles (CECI) funded by the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique de Belgique (F.R.S.-FNRS). Eric Deleersnijder and Sandra Soares-Frazão are honorary research associates with this institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering (IMMC), Université catholique de Louvain, Place du Levant 1, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Chien Pham Van, Benoit Spinewine & Sandra Soares-Frazão

  2. Faculty of Hydrology and Water Resources, Thuyloi University, Tayson 175, Dongda District, Hanoi, Viet Nam

    Chien Pham Van

  3. Axis Park Louvain-la-Neuve, Free Field Technologies, Rue Emile Francqui 1, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium

    Benjamin de Brye

  4. Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering (IMMC) & Earth and Life Institute (ELI), Université catholique de Louvain, Avenue Georges Lemaître 4, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Eric Deleersnijder

  5. Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics (DIAM), Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD, Delft, The Netherlands

    Eric Deleersnijder

  6. Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    A. J. F. Hoitink & Hidayat Hidayat

  7. Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, NIOZ, Den Burg, The Netherlands

    Maximiliano Sassi

Authors
  1. Chien Pham Van
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  2. Benjamin de Brye
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  3. Eric Deleersnijder
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  4. A. J. F. Hoitink
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Correspondence to Chien Pham Van.

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Pham Van, C., de Brye, B., Deleersnijder, E. et al. Simulations of the flow in the Mahakam river–lake–delta system, Indonesia. Environ Fluid Mech 16, 603–633 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-016-9445-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-016-9445-4

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