Abstract
In the present study, a hydrodynamic model of Puttalam lagoon was set-up using DELFT 3D software. The simulations carried out to assess the present status of the lagoon show that the water level fluctuations gradually decrease by about 35% when propagating the tidal fluctuations at locations from Kalpitiya to Etalai basin whereas, the range of water level fluctuations decrease by about 65% at locations from Kalpitiya to Puttalam basin which is the lagoon head. The average velocity of flow in the lagoon is less than 0.3 m s-1 except at the Puttalam basin mouth where the cross section is small. In addition, the residence time varies between 40 days (downstream of Kalpitiya) to 100 days (Puttalam basin – at lagoon head) in the lagoon. The range of water level fluctuations in the lagoon is increased by about 0.2 m and 0.24 m due to Sea Level Rise (SLR) for the climate change scenarios of RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, respectively. In addition, the average velocity of flow is also increased due to SLR and, as a result, the residence time is reduced by 6% to 10% at various locations in the lagoon.
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