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COPRI & EWC Seminar 01/23 : Ivy Huang

January 23, 2018 @ 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm

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Our seminar will be moved to a special day and time. The NCSU student chapter of the Coasts, Oceans, Ports & Rivers Institute (COPRI) and EWC will co-host a seminar on Tuesday, Jan 23, in Mann 323 from 4:30-5:30pm. The seminar will feature Dr. Ivy Huang, who will discuss “Cohesive sediment flocculation in a partially-stratified estuary.” An abstract and bio are included below. Please join us Tue Jan 23 in Mann 323 from 4:30-5:30pm.

Abstract: Cohesive sediments play a key role in estuarine systems by 1) acting as carriers for contaminant transport; 2) affecting primary productivity through turbidity effects on in-water light levels; and 3) causing siltation in navigation channels. A major challenge towards studying cohesive sediments is the dynamic process of flocculation. This research is focused on developing a process-based understanding of cohesive sediment flocculation under various non-hydrodynamics and hydrodynamics conditions in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary. More specifically, we investigated these processes using high-resolution transect and stationary measurements of stratified turbulence and floc properties. We make the following main observations. First, we show that the floc size is not significantly affected by changes in salinity, sediment concentration, or biological activity. Comparison between the freshwater and saltwater flocculation dynamics shows that the traditional notion of enhanced floc aggregation at the onset of salinity is not appropriate in this estuary. Instead, we conclude that the physical processes are the most dominant control on floc size. In particular, we show that the floc sizes scale inversely with the strength of the turbulent shear rate (G). Over tidal timescales, the smallest floc sizes are typically observed during slack water, and the largest floc sizes are typically observed at peak current velocities. We also show that other physical processes, such as differential settling, are important and cannot be ignored. These secondary effects are most evident during the tidal transitions, coinciding with when stratification is at its strongest.

Bio: Dr. Ivy Huang received her S.B. from MIT in 2011 and Ph.D. from Stanford University in 2017 (both in Civil and Environmental Engineering). Currently, Dr. Huang is a California Sea Grant post-doctoral scholar working with Dr. Stephen Monismith and Dr. David Schoellhamer on understanding the effect of drought on sediment dynamics in freshwater systems. In particular, she has had extensive experience leading and analyzing field and laboratory experiments on complex fluid-sediment processes and their impact on water quality. Dr. Huang’s specific research interests include stratified turbulence, sediment flocculation, salinity fronts, turbidity maxima, and light availability.

Details

Date:
January 23, 2018
Time:
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Event Categories:
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Website:
http://go.ncsu.edu/ewc-seminar-schedule

Venue

Mann 323
Mann Hall
Raleigh,
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