Transport and mixing in density stratified environmental flows

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My research program in environmental fluid mechanics investigates the fundamental physical processes that control mixing, transport, and dispersion of chemicals, biota and sediment in freshwater and marine systems. This research results in a fundamental characterization of these processes in laboratory experiments, which we test with field observations. My laboratory and field experiments aim to solve environmental problems in the Great Lakes and the coastal ocean. The short-term objectives of this research program will focus on determining mathematical models of specific transport processes in density stratified fluids, namely the mixing and transport in density or turbidity currents, and mixing that occurs near the benthic boundaries of thermally stratified lakes. My graduate students and I will use a combination of field observations and laboratory experiments, as well as mathematical and numerical modeling, to better understand the physical mixing and transport mechanisms that are relevant for environmental decision making. For the next 5 years there will be three main foci of my research, namely to understand the mixing in deep oceanographic overflows, to determine the influence of Coriolis forces on environmental flows and to measure the strength of turbulence in the bottom boundary layer of stratified lakes. Canada borders the largest inland lake system in the world, with one quarter of its population living within the Great Lakes watershed. Canada also has extensive coastal regions and economically important resources in the ocean. The successful environmental management of the water quality needs a clear understanding of how nutrients and chemicals are diluted by mixing and dispersed by turbulent motions.