Implementation of a 3D Coupled Hydrodynamic–Biogeochemical Model in Kuwait Bay

Abstract

Production of farmed fish is increasing worldwide and in areas which have traditionally not had large scale farming, specifically regions of high sea temperature. This research presents a methodology to assess the impacts of these developments on water quality and to manage them in the context of other discharges into the marine environment. Kuwait Bay, in Kuwait, is used as a case study for these types of environments, where the impacts of finfish farms are assessed regarding their location by implementing a 3D coupled hydrodynamic–biogeochemical model. The model was validated against a monthly climatology of field data for hydrodynamics and biogeochemical parameters. Results show that the impact of a farm size with an average historical production is minimal, with a slight increase in nutrient concentrations (0.4%) and in chlorophyll-a and oxygen (less than 1%) compared to the baseline (no farm). When the farm was located outside the bay, at the southern coast, the impact was even smaller. This suggests that the flushing conditions of the location are a prime consideration and can help mitigate the impacts of larger farm sizes.