Deltas and Oceans
SAFL conducts research as it relates to ocean and shoreline (primarily delta) related processes. Research involving oceanic currents, transport of oil spills, wind-wave interactions, the atmosphere-ocean transfer of greenhouse gases, and other upper-ocean flow processes helps continue to build a better physical understanding of oceanic processes and enables more powerful numerical simulations. SAFL's delta research relates to the development of techniques for replicating all the main forms of natural deltas at experimental scales, and combining the resulting experimental data with field observations to be able to predict deltaic stratigraphy, as well as to ‘mine’ natural strata for insight on delta response to changes such as sea-level rise and population growth. SAFL also has historically conducted laboratory experiments looking at turbidity currents, or gravity-driven flows, on the ocean floor.
SAFL Affiliated Faculty
Chris Paola
Gary Parker
Lian Shen
SAFL Researchers
Jeffrey Marr
Read more about SAFL deltas and oceans related projects/research:
(filter "Deltas and Oceans" if needed)
Harnessing clean energy from rivers through hydrokinetic turbine arrays
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Hydrokinetic turbines are an emerging hydropower technology that take advantage of moving water currents to generate power.
SAFL team designs flume to support juvenile fish studies
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The United States Geological Survey (USGS) tasked SAFL researchers with the design of a race-track style flume, with the geometry and hydraulic conditions for early life stages of pallid sturgeon, an ancient but endangered fish species which historically inhabited the Missouri and lower Mississippi rivers
Channel belt evolution in braided rivers
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Channel belts are wide corridors created by the movement of a river over time, as shown by geologic indicators such as abandoned channels and eroded valley margins. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how channel migration causes individual braided channel belts to grow using SAFL's main channel.