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Nivar

Investigating the Influence of Salinity and Temperature on the Dispersion of Desalination Brine in a Hypothetical Lake

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Majid Hosseini Hamid 1
Mohammad Akbari Nasab 2
Behzad Layeghi 3
1 Department of Atmospheric and Abiotic Sciences, Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technologies, Hormozgan University, Bandar Abbas, Iran
2 Associate Professor University of MAZANDARAN, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Babolsar, Iran
3 Director General of the Center for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Secretary of the Supreme Oceanographic Council of the Iranian Meteorological Organization
10.30467/nivar.2026.570770.1366
Abstract
Seawater desalination has become one of the most effective solutions for freshwater production; however, the return brine discharged into the marine environment represents a significant ecological concern. In this study, the three-dimensional ROMS numerical model was employed to construct an idealized rectangular marine domain in which a surface brine outfall with variable salinity and temperature was released. The seabed slope was assumed constant, with a maximum depth of 150 m, and an eastward surface wind was applied in all scenarios.
In the first case, where the effluent represented a thermally enriched brine discharged at the surface with a temperature of 50 °C, salinity of 40 ppt, and a flow rate of 2 m³/s, the brine plume remained predominantly near the surface, advected forward under the influence of wind. No evidence of brine reaching the seabed was observed.
Increasing the brine salinity to 45 ppt did not significantly alter its vertical movement; however, surface spreading expanded toward the coast, resulting in plume accumulation in two shoreline regions.
In the scenario with an effluent temperature of 45 °C, salinity of 55 ppt, and a discharge rate of 1 m³/s, the brine mass became sufficiently dense to sink and travel along the seabed, posing a potential threat to benthic ecosystems.
Overall, the findings indicate that low-density effluents are primarily governed by wind-driven circulation, whereas increased brine density enhances downward movement toward the seabed.
In an additional application of ROMS, a high-density reverse osmosis brine discharge was simulated for a coastal point along the western Sea of Oman, released at the surface with a flow rate of 10 m³/s. Model results showed a two-branch transport pathway: one part of the plume progressed toward the Strait of Hormuz, while the other was advected offshore toward the Arabian Sea.
Keywords
ROMS modeling
effluent desalination
salinity
regional flows
hypothetical lake
Subjects
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Nivar
Volume 49, Special Issue (S1) - Serial Number 1
Special Issue (S1)
November 2025
Pages 60-72

  • Receive Date 05 January 2026
  • Revise Date 15 January 2026
  • Accept Date 27 January 2026
  • Publish Date 23 September 2025