Circulation modeling for seabed disposal of nuclear wastes: status, progress and intercomparisons. Report of the interim meeting of the Seabed Working Group Physical Oceanography Task Group, Cambridge, U. K. , 31 August-3 September 1982

Technical Report · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6993233

Robinson, A R ^[1]

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1. ed.

The use of ocean circulation models is paramount in assessing the long-term effects and safety of subseabed disposal of radioactive waste. A number of different models are necessary for the various questions involved. At present, seabed waste disposal problems are being modeled by: existing ocean circulation models, which have been modified specifically for waste disposal problems, and special purpose models developed exclusively for waste disposal problems. The UK, FRG and USA programs have each implemented applicable general circulation models (GCMs) for the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the FRG has a coarse-resolution world GCM and the UK has a 2-dimensional model with general and periodic boundary conditions as well as a 42-box model for the North Atlantic. The USA has a regional eddy-resolving model and a nested boxes model in which nested boxes are connected through regional boxes to the world ocean. Simulations to date include preliminary tracer-release studies of various kinds (Section II). The Physical Oceanography Task Group (POTG) of the Seabed Working Group (SWG), which coordinates the development of modeling work relevant to seabed waste disposal, has focussed here on the common problems of GCM and box circulations: convergence, intercomparability, reliability in predicted vertical velocity fields, and methodologies for efficiency in dispersion computations. International efforts have been summarized (Section II) and synthesized in modeling tables (Section IV), and detailed plans for model intercomparisons have been formulated (Section V).

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6993233
• Report Number(s): SAND-83-1808; ON: DE84012489
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
58 GEOSCIENCES
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ATLANTIC OCEAN
COOPERATION
CURRENTS
EUROPE
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
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OCEANOGRAPHY
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
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SEA BED
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
UNITED KINGDOM
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER CURRENTS
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