Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans, cilt.114, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
In this study, the performances of two different 3D numerical models, namely UM3 and DKHW within the Visual Plumes (VP) package program for computing an initial dilution of submerged plume discharges in flowing waters were investigated. For the estimation of centreline minimum dilution, UM3 and DKHW models were applied to two different sets of comprehensive experimental data made available by Fan (1967) and Lee and Cheung (1991). Lee and Cheung’s data of 107 represented buoyancy-dominated jet discharges, whereas Fan’s data of 99 mostly represented momentum-dominated jet discharges in flowing waters. The results indicated that UM3 produced highly accurate dilution values when applied to Fan’s data in comparison with Lee and Cheung’s data. On the other hand, DKHW model mostly overestimated the dilution values for both Fan’s and Lee and Cheung’s data. This study delivers three key outcomes. First, it establishes the first systematic comparison of the UM3 and DKHW models applied to the Fan and Lee & Cheung data. Second, it provides a quantitative evaluation of their predictive skill across distinct regimes. Finally, it translates these insights into practical recommendations for model application.