Dispersion of desalination plant brine discharge under varied hydrodynamic conditions in the South of Gran canaria and influence on nearby seagrass meadows

Brine discharged directly into the sea from desalination processes, forms a very dense plume that spreads out over the sea floor following the steepest slope due to its greater density than ambient sea water. Because the large difference in density slows down brine dilution processes in ambient sea...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Portillo, Eduardo, Ruiz-de-la-Rosa, M., Louzara, G., Quesada, J., Ruiz-Fernández, Juan Manuel, Mendoza, H.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/321009
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/321009
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Medio Marino
Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia
Descripción
Sumario:Brine discharged directly into the sea from desalination processes, forms a very dense plume that spreads out over the sea floor following the steepest slope due to its greater density than ambient sea water. Because the large difference in density slows down brine dilution processes in ambient sea water, hypersaline plumes spread out over broad areas and affect the benthic communities in their path. The Maspalomas II desalination plant, in the south of the island of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands-Spain), discharges brine through an underwater outfall over a wide sandy bottom with a mild slope. The behavior of this brine discharge was characterized under various hydrodynamic conditions. A higher degree of hydrodynamic exposure favored dilution of the outer edges of the plume, helping to reduce the area of influence.