Posted on Friday 13 August 2021

Impact of heavy rainfall on coastal water quality captured in MetOcean model

The excerpt below is republished with permission from MetOcean Solutions. Read the original article.

Following the heavy rainfall over the weekend of 17 July 2021, MetOcean Solutions used a forecasting model - first developed by our Forecasting contamination risk for shellfish harvest and beach use project - to show the potential impact of contaminants on aquaculture and beach water quality in Tasman and Golden Bays.

The operational model was created in a collaborative project between MetOcean Solutions, NIWA and Cawthron Institute (who led the project), as part of the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge in 2016.

The project built an infrastructure of connected models from the land to the region's main rivers, and finally to the ‘end of the pipe’ coastal region in order to map and predict the dispersion of harmful bacteria within Tasman and Golden Bay, New Zealand.

The water quality forecasts are highly relevant to stakeholders concerned with water quality. As such, councils can now predict which beaches are at risk of contamination and warn beachgoers. Similarly, aquaculture industries can time shellfish harvesting with optimal water qualities to ensure high-quality products.

All three organisations have recognised the value of this product and are looking at ways to keep the modelling operational well beyond the completion of the originally funded project.

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