HYDKOSEDIMENTOLOGICAL STUDIES IN BAHIA BLANCA

Abstract

The increasing international grain trade make it necessary to have more deep facilities for large draught ships. Within the areas of major agriculture developments, Bahia BIan ca harbour complex, is one of the most important and consequen (;ly also its improvement. In order to achieve this improvement a deeper and wider navigation channel has to be designed. The actual channel, 100 km. long is limited to bulk up to 37 ft. draught. It is developed along a sandy coast with large bars and islands. Bahia Blanca is the southwest of the Buenos Aires Province, within trapezoidal shape, where the mean tidal range chang m in the inner part to 1,8 m in the outer part. Try prove a so long channel in a complex sedimentologic imply a rather difficult task, which requires a ful gation programme to achieve an economical and techn tion. To this end, extensive field and desk studies ed out covering all the influence area and testing altematives . . carriers and silty located at a Bay of es from 3,5 ing to imal area . ly investiical so luwe re carri different One of the major problems to solve is the sedimentological sta bility of the channel due to the action of currents and waves. The use of mathematical models and of large and reliable field surveys, together with a pilot test dredging used as a one to one model for the calibration of the transport formulas, looks as the most suitable method to attack such problems. The results of this study are part of the navigation channel project carried out by the firm NEDECO-ARCONSULT for the Argen tine Government.