The numerical model used in this study is the RMA-10 suite (King, 2013) – a three-dimensional finite element model for stratified flow. RMA gives:
- the solution of the shallow water equations in three-dimensions with hydrostatic assumptions
- coupling of advection and diffusion of temperature, salinity and sediment to the hydrodynamics
- the inclusion of turbulence in Reynolds stress form
- horizontal components of the non-linear terms
- a capacity to include one-dimensional, depth-averaged, laterally-averaged two dimensional elements and three-dimensional elements within a single mesh as needed
- no, partial and full slip conditions can be applied at lateral boundaries and bed boundaries
- all elements can be made to wet and dry during a simulation
- vertical turbulence quantities estimated by either a quadratic parameterisation of turbulent exchange or a Mellor-Yamada Level 2 turbulence sub-model
RMA is a collection of hydrodynamic models developed and supported by Ian King. Other open source models exist that are also useful for simulating our environment. Popular ones include Princeton Ocean Model (POM) and Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) for which the source code is freely available for users to further develop. The CDML plans to showcase these open-source models in future development.
