A Fluid Mud Transport Model in Multi-dimensions

It is important to understand the fate of terrestrial sediment into the coastal ocean, because it determines for example the seabed properties and the turbidity of the water column. Several recent initiatives, such as NOPP Community Sediment Transport Model, MURIUnderstading Wave-Mud Interaction and Tidal Mud Flats DRI have put forward new outstanding science and technical questions for coastal sediment. The success of these new studies inevitably depends on our level of understandings on the crucial small-scale mechanisms that can be either resolved or parameterized via detailed measurement and modeling. These new initiatives also have a similar goal to establish improved understanding on coastal hydrodynamics and sediment transport processes in heterogeneous environment with more emphasis on cohesive sediment transport.