Abstract
To assess the effects of tidal energy extraction on water quality in a simplified estuarine system, which consists of a tidal bay connected to the coastal ocean through a narrow channel where energy is extracted using in-stream tidal turbines, a three-dimensional coastal ocean model with built-in tidal turbine and water quality modules was applied. The effects of tidal energy extraction on water quality were examined for two energy extraction scenarios as compared with the baseline condition. It was found, in general, that the environmental impacts associated with energy extraction depend highly on the amount of power extracted from the system. Model results indicate that, as a result of energy extraction from the channel, the competition between decreased flushing rates in the bay and increased vertical mixing in the channel directly affects water quality responses in the bay. The decreased flushing rates tend to cause a stronger but negative impact on water quality. On the other hand, the increased vertical mixing could lead to higher bottom dissolved oxygen at times. As the first modeling effort directly aimed at examining the impacts of tidal energy extraction on estuarine water quality, this study demonstrates that numerical models can serve as a very useful tool for this purpose. However, more careful efforts are warranted to address system-specific environmental issues in real-world, complex estuarine systems.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atwater, J., and G. Lawrence. 2010. Power potential of a split tidal channel. Renewable Energy 35: 329–332.
Bianucci, L., K. Denman, and D. Ianson. 2011. Low oxygen and high organic carbon on the Vancouver Island Shelf. Journal of Geophysical Research 116, C07011.
Blanchfield, J., C. Garrett, P. Wild, and A. Rowe. 2008. The extractable power from a channel linking a bay to the open ocean. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy 222: 289–297.
Bowie, G.L., W.B. Mills, D.B. Porcella, C.L. Campbell, J.R. Pagenkopt, G.L. Rupp, K.M. Johnson, P.W.H. Chan, and S.A. Gherini. 1985. Rates, constants and kinetics formulations in surface water quality modeling, 2nd ed. Athens: US Environmental Protection Agency. EPA 600/3-85/040.
Bryden, I., and S. Couch. 2007. How much energy can be extracted from moving water with a free surface: A question of importance in the field of tidal current energy? Renewable Energy 32: 1961–1966.
Cerco, C., and T. Cole. 1993. Three-dimensional eutrophication model of Chesapeake Bay. ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering 119: 1006–1025.
Cerco, C. and T. Cole. 1994. Three-dimensional eutrophication model of Chesapeake Bay: Volume 1, main report. Technical Report EL-94-4, US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg.
Cerco, C. and M. Noel. 2004. The 2002 Chesapeake Bay eutrophication model. Report No. EPA 903-R-04-004.
Chen, C., H. Liu, and R.C. Beardsley. 2003. An unstructured, finite-volume, three-dimensional, primitive equation ocean model: Application to coastal ocean and estuaries. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 20: 159–186.
Chen, C., R. Beardsley, and G. Cowles. 2006. An unstructured grid, finite-volume coastal ocean model: FVCOM user manual. School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 315 pp.
Chen, C., H. Huang, R. Beardsley, H. Liu, Q. Xu, and G. Cowles. 2007. A finite volume numerical approach for coastal ocean circulation studies: Comparisons with finite difference models. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, C03018. doi:10.0129/2006JC003485.
Chen, C., G. Gao, J. Qi, A. Proshutinsky, R. Beardsley, Z. Kowalik, H. Lin, and G. Cowles. 2009. A new high-resolution unstructured-grid finite-volume Arctic Ocean model (AO-FVCOM): an application for tidal studies. Journal of Geophysical Research. doi:10.1029/2008jc004941.
Chen, C., Z. Lai, R. Beardsley, Q. Xu, H. Lin, and N. Viet. 2012. Current separation and upwelling over the southeast shelf of Vietnam in the South China Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans 117. doi:10.1029/2011JC007150.
Cole, T. and S. Wells. 2009. CE-QUAL-W2: A two-dimensional, laterally averaged, hydrodynamic and water quality model, version 3.6 user manual. Instruction Report EL-08-1, US Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC.
Defne, Z., K.A. Haas, and H.M. Fritz. 2011. Numerical modeling of tidal currents and the effects of power extraction on estuarine hydrodynamics along the Georgia coast, USA. Renewable Energy 36: 3461–3471.
Draper, S., G. Houlsby, M. Oldfield, and A. Borthwick. 2009. Modeling tidal energy extraction in a depth-averaged coastal plain. Proceedings of the 8th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference, Uppsala, Sweden, p. 1045–1052.
Dyer, K. 1973. Estuaries: A physical introduction. New York: Wiley.
Fennel, K., J. Wilkin, J. Levin, J. Moisan, J. O'Reilly, and D. Haidvogel. 2006. Nitrogen cycling in the Middle Atlantic Bight: Results from a three-dimensional model and implications for the North Atlantic nitrogen budget. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 20, GB3007.
Garrett, C., and P. Cummins. 2005. The power potential of tidal currents in channels. Proceedings of Royal Society A 461: 2563–2572.
Garrett, C., and P. Cummins. 2008. Limits to tidal current power. Renewable Energy 33: 2485–2490.
Gorlov, A. 2001. Tidal energy. In: Encyclopedia of ocean sciences, 2955–2960. Oxford: Academic.
Grabbe, M., E. Lalander, S. Lundin, and M. Leijon. 2009. A review of the tidal current energy resource in Norway. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 13: 1898–1909.
Gruber, N., H. Frenzel, S. Doney, P. Marchesiello, J. McWilliams, J. Moisan, J. Oram, G.-K. Plattner, and K. Stolzenbach. 2006. Eddy-resolving simulation of plankton ecosystem dynamics in the California Current System. Deep-Sea Research I 53: 1483–1516.
Hasegawa, D., J. Sheng, D. Greenberg, and K. Thompson. 2011. Far-field effects of tidal energy extraction in the Minas Passage on tidal circulation in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine using a nested-grid coastal circulation model. Ocean Dynamics 61: 1845–1868.
Hu, S., C. Chen, R. Ji, D.W. Townsend, R. Tian, R. Beardsley, and C. Davis. 2011. Effects of surface forcing on interannual variability of the fall phytoplankton bloom in the Gulf of Maine revealed using a process-oriented model. Marine Ecological Progress Series 427: 29–49.
Huang, W. 2007. Hydrodynamic modeling of flushing time in a small estuary of North Bay, Florida, USA. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 74: 722–731.
Ji, R., C. Davis, C. Chen, and R. Beardsley. 2008. Influence of local and external processes on the annual nitrogen cycle and primary productivity on Georges Bank: A 3-D biological–physical modeling study. Journal of Marine System 73: 31–47.
Kadiri, M., R. Ahmadian, B. Bockelmann-Evans, W. Rauen, and R. Falconer. 2012. A review of the potential water quality impacts of tidal renewable energy systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 16: 329–341.
Karsten, R., J. McMillan, M. Lickley, and R. Haynes. 2008. Assessment of tidal current energy in the Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy 222: 493–507.
Monbet, Y. 1992. Control of phytoplankton biomass in estuaries: A comparative analysis of microtidal and macrotidal estuaries. Estuaries 15: 563–571.
Newton, J., C. Bassin, A. Devol, M. Kawase, W. Ruef, M. Warner, D. Hannafious, and R. Rose. 2007. Hypoxia in Hood Canal: An overview of status and contributing factors. In: Proceedings of 2007 George Basin Puget Sound Research Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, 26–29 March 2007.
Nixon, S.W., J.W. Ammerman, L.P. Atkinson, V.M. Berounsky, G. Billen, W.C. Biocourt, W. Boynton, T.M. Church, D.M. Ditoro, R. Elmgren, J.H. Garber, A.E. Giblin, R.A. Jahnke, N.J.P. Owens, M.E.Q. Pilson, and S.P. Seitzinger. 1996. The fate of nitrogen and phosphorus at the land–sea margin of the North Atlantic Ocean. Biogeochemistry 35: 141–180.
Officer, C. 1976. Physical oceanography of estuaries (and associated coastal waters). New York: Wiley.
Officer, C., R. Biggs, J. Taft, L. Cronin, M. Tyler, and W. Boynton. 1984. Chesapeake Bay anoxia: Origin, development and significance. Science 223: 22–27.
O'Rourke, F., F. Boyle, and A. Reynolds. 2010. Tidal current energy resource assessment in Ireland: Current status and future update. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 14: 3206–3212.
Park, K., A. Kuo, J. Shen, and J. Hamrick. 1995. A three-dimensional hydrodynamic-eutrophication model HEM-3D: Description of water quality and sediment process submodels. SRAMSOE No. 327, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA.
Park, K., H.-S. Jung, H.-S. Kim, and S.-M. Ahn. 2005. Three-dimensional hydrodynamic–eutrophication model (HEM-3D): Application to Kwang-Yang Bay, Korea. Marine Environmental Research 60: 171–193.
Parker, D. 1993. Environmental implications of tidal power generation. IEE Proceedings-A 140: 71–75.
Shapiro, G. 2010. Effect of tidal stream power generation on the region-wide circulation in a shallow sea. Ocean Science Discussions 7: 1785–1810.
Shen, J., and H. Wang. 2007. Determining the age of water and long-term transport timescale of the Chesapeake Bay. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 74: 750–763.
Sutherland, G., M. Foreman, and C. Garrett. 2007. Tidal current energy assessment for Johnstone Strait, Vancouver Island. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy 221: 147–157.
Walkington, I., and R. Burrows. 2009. Modeling tidal stream power potential. Applied Ocean Research 31: 239–245.
Wang, S., Y. Peng, D. Li, and Y. Jiao. 2011. An overview of ocean renewable energy in China. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 15: 91–111.
Weisberg, R., and L. Zheng. 2006. Hurricane storm surge simulation for Tampa Bay. Estuaries and Coasts 29(6A): 899–913.
Yang, Z., T. Khangaonkar, and T. Wang. 2011. Use of advanced meteorological model output for coastal ocean modeling in Puget Sound. International Journal of Climate and Ocean Systems 2: 101–117.
Yang, Z., T. Wang, T. Khangaonkar, and S. Breithaupt. 2012. Integrated modeling of flood flows and tidal hydrodynamics over a coastal floodplain. Environmental Fluid Mechanics 12: 63–80.
Yang, Z., and T. Wang. 2013a. Modeling the effects of tidal energy extraction on estuarine hydrodynamics in a stratified estuary. Estuaries and Coasts. doi:10.1007/s12237-013-9684-2.
Yang, Z., and T. Wang. 2013b. Tidal residual eddies and their effect on water exchange in Puget Sound. Ocean Dynamics 63: 995–1009. doi:10.1007/s10236-013-0635-z.
Yang, Z., T. Wang, and A. Copping. 2013. Modeling tidal stream energy extraction and its effects on transport processes in a tidal channel and bay system using a three-dimensional coastal ocean model. Renewable Energy 50: 605–613.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the Wind and Water Power Program under the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, US Department of Energy. The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their help in improving the quality of the manuscript. Dr. Changsheng Chen at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is also acknowledged for providing the authors the FVCOM source code.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by Wayne S. Gardner
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, T., Yang, Z. & Copping, A. A Modeling Study of the Potential Water Quality Impacts from In-Stream Tidal Energy Extraction. Estuaries and Coasts 38 (Suppl 1), 173–186 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9718-9
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9718-9