421 / 2024-03-15 17:14:31

Water quality modelling of West Johor Strait

water quality,West Johor Strait,numerical modelling,algal process

Subtheme 8: Estuarine and Coastal Engineering > Topic 5: Estuarine Coastal Ecosystem and Integrated Management

Bounded by Singapore Island and Malaysia Peninsula, the narrow Johor Strait behaves like an estuary that connects inland rivers from both countries and the sea that is tide dominant through Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The linkway “Causeway” connecting the two countries separates Johor Strait into two: East and West Johor Straits since 1920s. As the West Johor Strait receives rainfall runoff from urbanized cities, i.e. Singapore and Johor Bahru, it leads to a complex environmental situation and varying water quality. To accurately represent the water quality in this strait, a numerical water quality model has been developed to consider factors like tide and river discharge, nutrients loading, dynamic processes, and bio-chemical processes. Among these, the ecological process involving different algal groups are crucial for predicting water quality in the model. However, the number of processes and granularity of algal grouping can impact the completeness and complexity of the model. Therefore, examine how different processes in the model influence simulation results is essential for building an efficient and accurate model. This study investigates the combination of various bio-chemical and ecological processes in the model to evaluate their impact on simulation outcomes, ultimately enhancing the representation of water quality in West Johor Strait.