Prediction of longitudinal dispersion coefficients in natural rivers using genetic algorithm

A new expression for the prediction of longitudinal dispersion coefficient in natural rivers, using genetic algorithms, is proposed. The expression uses hydraulic and geometric characteristics of rivers, which are readily available. For performance evaluation, using published field data, results of coefficient prediction by the new expression and by the other reported expressions are compared. According to various performance indices, it is concluded that the new formula predicts the longitudinal dispersion coefficient more accurately. Sensitive analysis performed on input parameters indicates the ratio of the cross-sectional mean velocity to the bottom shear velocity to be the most influencing parameter for accurate prediction of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient.