Numerical modeling of pollutant load accumulation in the Musa estuary, Persian Gulf

Musa estuary is a predominantly tide-driven embayment located in the northwestern part of the Persian Gulf. This estuary is bordered by dense population and industrial development that add significantly to the water's pollution load. The eastern part of the estuary opens into the small estuaries which are not similar in terms of pollutant load accumulation. The present study investigates the relationships between pollutant load accumulation and some physical and hydrodynamic characteristics of the Musa estuary. Tidal regime, bottom topography, persistency of currents and pollutant sources were analyzed numerically in relation to pollutant load accumulation. Residence time was calculated using the MIKE 3 model and this concept was used as a metric of pollutant load accumulation. It was found that the assimilative capacity of Musa estuary is not the same during the month so that the capacity to absorb pollution in spring tide is more than at any other time. Based on the results, the present study suggests that in all estuarine ecosystems, the persistency of currents can be used as an indicator of areas which are faced with pollutant load accumulation.