SIMULATION OF HYDRODYNAMICS, TEMPERATURE, AND DISSOLVED OXYGEN IN BULL SHOALS LAKE, ARKANSAS, 1994-1995
By Joel M. Galloway and W. Reed Green
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Water–Resources Investigations Report 03-4077
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Abstract
Outflow from Bull Shoals Lake and other White River reservoirs supports a cold-water trout fishery of substantial economic yield in north-central Arkansas and south-central Missouri. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has requested an increase in existing minimum flows through the Bull Shoals Lake dam to increase the amount of fishable waters downstream. Information is needed to assess the impact of increased minimum flows on temperature and dissolved-oxygen concentrations of reservoir water and the outflow.
A two-dimensional, laterally averaged, hydrodynamic,
temperature, and dissolved-oxygen model was developed and calibrated for Bull Shoals Lake, located on the Arkansas-Missouri State line. The model simulates
water-surface elevation, heat transport, and dissolved-
oxygen dynamics. The model was developed to assess the impacts of proposed increases in minimum flow from 4.6 cubic meters per second (the existing minimum flow) to 22.6 cubic meters per second (the increased minimum flow). Simulations included assessing the impact of (1) increased minimum flows and (2) increased minimum flows with increased initial water-surface elevation of 1.5 meters in Bull Shoals Lake on outflow temperatures and dissolved-oxygen concentrations.
The increased minimum flow simulation (without
increasing initial water-surface elevation) increased the water temperature and dissolved-oxygen concentration
in the outflow. Conversely, the increased minimum
flow and increased initial water-surface elevation (1.5 meters) simulation decreased outflow water temperature
and dissolved-oxygen concentration through time. However, results from both scenarios for water temperature and dissolved-oxygen concentration were within the boundaries of the error between measured and simulated water column profile values.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Purpose
- Description of Study Area
- Acknowledgments
- Simulation of Hydrodynamics, Temperature, and Dissolved Oxygen in Bull Shoals Lake
- Model Implementation
- Computational Grid
- Boundary and Initial Conditions
- Hydraulic and Thermal Boundary Conditions
- Chemical Boundary Conditions
- Initial Conditions
- Model Parameters
- Other Model Options
- Model Calibration
- Hydrodynamics and Temperature
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Sensitivity Analysis
- Model Applications
- Summary
- References
ILLUSTRATIONS - Figure
- Map showing location of Bull Shoals Lake and the White River Basin in Arkansas and
Missouri
- Plot showing idealized model segments, layers, and branches for the CE-QUAL-W2
reservoir model.
- Plot showing side view, top view, and face view from the dam of the computational grid
of Bull Shoals Lake used in CE-QUAL-W2..5
- Relation between water-surface elevation and volume and water-surface elevation and
surface area in Bull Shoals Lake
- Annual mean streamflow for the White River near Branson, Missouri, upstream from
Bull Shoals Lake, 1952-1995
- Daily inflow and hourly dam outflow for Bull Shoals Lake, January 1994 through
December 1995
- Simulated and measured water-surface elevations near the Bull Shoals Lake dam,
January through December 1994 and January through December 1995
- Relation between simulated and measured water temperatures in the water column near
the Bull Shoals Lake dam, January through December 1994
- Relation of difference between simulated and measured water temperatures near the
Bull Shoals Lake dam to measured water temperature, sampling date, and water depth,
January through December 1994
- Relation between simulated and measured water temperatures in the water column
near the Bull Shoals Lake dam, January through December 1995
- Relation of difference between simulated and measured water temperatures near the Bull
Shoals Lake dam to measured water temperature, sampling date, and water depth,
January through December 1995
- Relation between simulated and measured dissolved-oxygen concentrations in the water
column near the Bull Shoals Lake dam, January through December 1994
- Relation of difference between simulated and measured dissolved-oxygen concentrations near
Bull Shoals Lake dam to measured dissolved-oxygen concentrations, sampling date, and water depth, January through December 1994
- Relation between simulated and measured dissolved-oxygen concentrations in the water column
near the Bull Shoals Lake dam, January through December 1995
- Relation of difference between simulated and measured dissolved-oxygen concentrations
near Bull Shoals Lake dam to measured dissolved-oxygen concentrations, sampling date, and
water depth, January through December 1995
- Vertical temperature distributions near the Bull Shoals Lake dam on July 7, 1994 and
January 20, 1995, showing calibrated model profiles and profiles as a result of
differing model parameters
- Vertical dissolved-oxygen concentration distributions near the Bull Shoals Lake dam on
July 7, 1994, and January 20, 1995, showing calibrated model profiles and profiles as a
result of differing model parameters
- Simulated water-surface elevations resulting from increased minimum flow scenarios
- Relation of difference between water-surface elevations predicted from increased
minimum flow scenarios and calibrated model water-surface elevation with time
- Simulated water temperature differences between increased minimum flow scenarios
and the calibrated model
- Simulated and estimated water temperatures in Bull Shoals Lake outflow and measured
temperatures downstream from Bull Shoals Lake dam
- Simulated dissolved-oxygen concentration differences between increased minimum
flow scenarios and calibrated model
- Simulated and estimated dissolved-oxygen concentrations in Bull Shoals Lake
outflows
TABLES
- Hydraulic and thermal input parameters specified for Bull Shoals Lake model
- Rate coefficients used in water-chemistry and biological simulations and other parameters
specified as input in the Bull Shoals Lake model