CE829: Mixing and Transport in Surface Waters

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Lecture Notes

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Description:

This course introduces doctoral-level students in civil engineering, environmental geosciences, geography and other disciplines to topics involving hydrodynamics and the dispersion of material in surface waters. The course involves a mix of field methods of data collection and interpretation as well as theoretical and computational modeling of surface water phenomena. The emphasis is on modern methods of data collection and modeling. Students will learn to address scientific questions related to mixing and transport of contaminants over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. The course helps prepare graduate students for both professional and academic careers. Projects and problem sets designed to enhance students' understanding will be used to explore the topics. There are no exams in this course.

Prerequisites:

The course relies heavily on the numerical solution of ordinary and partial differential equations. Therefore,  a background in differential equations and knowledge of a programming language are expected. MATLAB is used extensively as an integrated computation / visualization environment.

Selected Topics:

1. Introduction to waves, tides and shallow-water processes

Types of waves; Wave height and steepness; Deep and shallow-water waves: The surface wave theory; Wave dispersion, group speed and wave energy; Wave refraction and wave - current interactions; Measurement of waves; The dynamic theory of tides; Amphidromic systems; Storm surges; Prediction of tides using harmonic method; Shallow-water environments; Principles and processes of sediment transport; Beaches;  Sediment movement by waves and currents

2. Large-scale motions on a rotating Earth

The equations of motion and continuity; The pressure and Coriolis terms; Frictional forces at the surface and the bottom; Reference frames and coordinate systems; The role of non-linear terms; The mathematics of waves

3. Currents with and without friction

Case study: Wind-driven circulation in Lake Michigan; Hydrodynamics and transport in the near-shore region; Application of shallow-water equations to rivers and estuaries

4. Numerical Models:

Finite-element and finite-difference methods; Introduction to computer models

Suggested Reading:

1. Adrian E. Gill, Atmosphere - Ocean Dynamics, Academic Press, New York (1982)

2. Zygmund Kowalik and T.S. Murthy, Numerical Modeling of Ocean Dynamics, World Scientific, Singapore (1995)

3. Blair Kinsman, Wind Waves - Their generation and propagation on the ocean surface, Dover Publications, New York (2002)

3. Clifford H. Mortimer, Lake Michigan in Motion: Responses of an Inland Sea to Weather, Earth-Spin and Human Activities, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison (2004)

4. Hugo B. Fischer et al., Mixing in Inland and Coastal Waters, Academic Press, San Diego (1979)

5. J.C. Rutherford, River Mixing, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England (1994)

Instructor:

Phanikumar Mantha

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

A130 Engineering Research Complex

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824

Phone: (517) 432-0851

e-mail: phani@egr.msu.edu