Sediment transport and morphodynamics in marine and coastal waters with engineering solutions

Coastal and estuarine areas are under constant erosion/sedimentation pressure.

The sustainable development of these areas depends on our understanding of and ability to predict the effect of complex sediment transport and morphodynamic processes and the development of effective applied engineering solutions.

Coastal protection is an important issue in the implementation of successful Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) plans.

The objective of the intrersectoral Network SEDIMARE is the interdisciplinary training and award of a PhD degree to Researchers in coastal processes and engineering, aiming towards a sustainable coastal use and protection.

The Network comprises 5 university beneficiaries, 3 private sector beneficiaries (1 Applied Research Institute, 1 corporation, and 1 SME), and 3 associated partner (1 university and 2 industrial ones).

The Network will provide a training-through-research program to 12 Doctoral Candidates, which comprises comprehensive academic training including web-based teaching, inter-institutional co-supervision, intersectoral secondments, summer/winter schools, workshops, complementary activities, dissemination, and outreach activities.

The research plan is organized into 3 Work Packages (WP): (1) Sediment Transport Processes, (2) Coupling of Flow, Sediment Transport, and Morphodynamics, and (3) Sustainable Coastal Engineering Solutions. Each WP includes several projects, whose implementation is based on the strong interaction between all beneficiaries.

The topics include: complex sediment transport processes involving sand-mud mixtures, mixed-size sands, and granular-fluid mixtures; coupling between hydrodynamics (waves, storm surges, and tides), sediment transport, and morphological changes; and engineering solutions to issues/problems related to erosion/sedimentation with emphasis on sustainability and resilience.

The research methods include effective process-based engineering modeling, advanced numerical simulations, and innovative experiments.