The Grid tab provides the options by which the user may set the vertical layering system, set masks, and also set the model position at its center as shown in Figure 1. The Sigma Zed (SGZ) vertical layering option is implemented with EFDC+ alongside the previous option of Standard Sigma grid (SIG). A dropdown drop-down option for the Water Layers is provided and the options described below.
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The new vertical layering approach (SGZ approach) developed and applied to the EFDC model is computationally efficient and significantly reduces pressure gradient errors. In the EFDC_SGZ model, the vertical layering scheme has been modified to allow for the number of layers to vary over the model domain. Each cell can use a different number of layers, though the number of layers for each cell is constant in time. As with the Sigma Stretch approach, the thickness of each layer varies in time to accommodate the time varying depths. The z coordinate system varies for each cell face, matching the number of active layers to the adjacent cells. The new version is computationally more efficient than a similarly configured Sigma Stretch grid, thus making models with 20 to 50 layers or more practical for typical projects.
A comparison of SIG and SGZ grids is shown in Figure 2.
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