Hydrodynamic Simulation of the Pagasitikos Gulf, Greece

Semi-enclosed sea basins have difficulty in recharging their waters due to limited communication with larger water bodies, with understandable consequences for their environmental status. This paper aims at the computational simulation of the hydrodynamic characteristics of the waters of the Pagasitikos Gulf (Greece), which has limited communication and water exchange with the Aegean Sea and is subject to intense environmental pressures The Estuary, Lake & Coastal Ocean 3d hydrodynamic Model (ELCOM 2.2) combined with its later version Aquatic Ecosystem Model-3d (AEM3D) were used for the simulation. The simulation included the topography of the area, the bay’s bottom geometry, atmospheric loadings, tides, the influence of the Coriolis force and boundary conditions. The hydrodynamic behaviour of the bay, water circulation, velocities at the surface and in depth, water recharge and residence time throughout the bay, density variation and other factors were examined to determine the impact of all these on the aquatic ecosystem.