Predictive models for drift transport by water flows in urban areas during the winter

Abstract

The basic concept of model development for analysis and prediction of drift transport by water flows in urban areas consists in the following. Precipitation and air temperature are determined on the basis of short-range forecasts of the meteorological situation. These data are used to calculate the runoff of water and drift from the land, using models describing their formation. These models [1] include relationships from which the layer of runoff is calculated on the basis of a “kinematic-wave” model. A model describing the transport of drift is then used if there is a problem in determining the channel dynamics of an urban river, or a drift-transfer model, if the transporting capacity of the flow in a storm drain is examined. In the latter case, the amount of the sandgravel mixture flushed from urban street pavements is adopted as an initial condition for the drift. To determine the runoff that forms in a water-catchment area, it is therefore possible to use the models proposed in [2]. A model of drift transport in an urban river usually consists of a drift-balance equation: g xt fd 0, (1)