In this study, field techniques are used to determine the longitudinal dispersion coefficient, E L, which is a parameter of Fickian models. These models explain how the concentration of a pollutant decays while is carried by the river. In the calculation of E L, the propagation method (routing procedure) corrected by tracer loss is applied. A semi-empirical equation that forecasts E L is deduced from the turbulence model and dimensional analysis application. The equation is adjusted using multiple linear regression technique with field data. The equation estimates E L based on easily measurable physical and hydraulic characteristics of natural water bodies. The paper also presents results on the application of the proposed model based on data available in the literature.
Longitudinal dispersion; tracer; water quality
