Numerical Study of the Process of Salt Water Inflow to the Don Mouth from the Taganrog Bay

Purpose. Numerical study based on the model example is aimed at examining the process of the salt water inflow to the Stary Don sleeve from the Taganrog Bay due to the wind water surge. Methods and Results. Complex mathematical model of the flow and salt distribution in the open riverbed is described. The section of the River Don, consisting of the Stary Don sleeve and a part of the main channel was considered. Salt is delivered through the host reservoir – the Taganrog Bay. The model is described by the system of Saint-Venant equations and the convection-diffusion equation. The problem is solved by the finite-difference methods. The results of the numerically studied influence of the sea surface level in the Taganrog Bay both on the flow nature in the Don Delta area and the degree of salt penetration upstream of the river are obtained. It was numerically established that the flow rate did not significantly affect salt concentration in the Don main channel. Conclusions. The computational experiments showed that the decisive factor in the process of the salt water inflow to the Don Delta from the Taganrog Bay consisted in the sea level significant increase resulting from extreme wind surges; and the preceding runoffs enhanced this effect even greater. The represented model gives an idea of the general trend in the process of the Don Delta possible salinization as a result of the surge phenomena.