Modelling of ocean currents and distribution of total suspended solids in Citarum River estuary

Department of Marine Science and Technology, IPB University, 16680 Bogor, Indonesia

Abstract

The Citarum River is an important river in West Java, which empties into the Java Sea carrying large suspended sediment concentrations. The purpose of this study is to examine the interaction of current patterns and distribution of total suspended solids (TSS) in the Northwest and Southeast Monsoons using hydrodynamic Modelling. The flow model and TSS used were 2-dimensional models with the OpenFlows FLOOD software. The ocean tide model results were validated using the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) method with a value of 0.10. The current velocity in the West and East monsoons ranges from 0.07 - 0.35 m/s. Currents flow north and northeast during high-tide conditions and move south and southwest during low-tide conditions in both seasons. The movement of TSS was influenced by the current patterns. The highest concentration of TSS is in the Northwest Monsoon at low tide, which was in the range of 560–575 mg/L. The lowest TSS concentration was in the Southeast Monsoon during high tide conditions, ranging from 80 to 120 mg/L. The high concentration of TSS in the Northwest Monsoon was influenced by higher rainfall, with an average in January and only 23.2 mm/day while in the Southeast Monsoon it is only 7.8 mm/day.