Abstract Submission: Sabine Lake, one of the major estuaries along the Gulf of Mexico, receives the fresh water from Neches and Sabine Rivers and connects to the ocean through Sabine Pass. The major nexus for the shipping and petrochemical industries on the western shore resulting in saltwater intrusion and land subsidence have caused vegetation loss and erosion. Recently flooding and extreme weather conditions increase the nonpoint pollution from runoff and point pollution from the industrial or municipal facilities. To understand the hydrodynamics and water quality of Sabine Lake, a preliminary 3D EFDC (Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code) numerical modeling was developed utilizing the 1-meter Lidar data with bathymetric sonar data to cover the total area of 277.36 km² including Lower Neches River Tidal, Sabine River from Orange, TX, and Sabine Pass to the Gulf of Mexico. Initial and boundary conditions were determined to respect verified monitoring data of flow rate, water elevation, water temperature, and weather data during 05/01~08/31/2023. The results showed the wind, and tides were major drivers to alter flow vectors, in turning affect the heat transport in the lake. Stronger south-west wind increased bed shear stress along the western waterway bank to enhance saltwater intrusion and erosion. With dry and extra heat climate conditions, the water temperature increased starting from the lake surface and the obvious stratification occurred in the later June. The model provided baseline knowledge of hydrodynamics and temperature for water quality modeling development to unveil the impact of future hydrological and meteorology conditions.
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