Sediment Transport of Lake Erie Contaminated bottom sediments and associated decreases in water quality are major problems for rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. To remediate this problem and evaluate possible approaches for the disposition of toxic sediments, EPA researchers use computer models to analyze hydrodynamics, particle transport, and sediment bed dynamics. This work is currently focused on the Great Lakes region of the United States. The adjacent image shows the concentration of sediments in Lake Erie resulting from a large storm.
Concentrations are color coded, with the highest shown in red.
Winds from storms produce waves, which in turn create bottom currents and turbulence that can cause contaminated bottom sediments to be resuspended in the water column. The shallower the water, the stronger the effects of the wave action. Consequently, sediment concentrations tend to be largest in shallow sections. In 1994, the High Performance Computing and Communications Bluebook Publication recognized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Concentration of Sediments in Lake Erie Resulting from a Large Storm. This visualization project is an innovative use of high performance computing and environmental models.