Hangzhou Bay, or the Bay of Hangzhou is an inlet of the East China Sea, bordered by the province of Zhejiang and the municipality of Shanghai. The Qiantang River flows into the bay. It lies south of Shanghai, and ends at the city of Hangzhou…
Hạ Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular travel destination in Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam. It receives significant sediment and pollutant loads from the Bach Dong River and smaller rivers discharging directly into the bay…
Guanabara Bay is one of the busiest estuaries in the world and requires constant monitoring of both hydrodynamic and wave regimes to assist port operations. Moreover, the bay is also heavily industrialized and suffers a number of severe environmental and sanitary issues…
The Ganges, also known as the Ganga, is a trans-boundary river in South Asia which flows through the nations of India and Bangladesh. It has numerous industry and urban areas along its length raising interest among researchers, industry and the environmental regulatory community…
The Danube is Europe’s second-longest river, after the Volga River, and also the longest river in the European Union region. It is located in Central and Eastern Europe. It has numerous industry and urban areas along its length raising interest among researchers, industry and…
Cook Inlet extends from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska, USA. Parts of Cook Inlet are designated as critical habitat for beluga whales, making this waterbody of interest to researchers and the environmental regulatory community…
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It has numerous industry and urban areas along its length raising interest among researchers, industry and the environmental regulatory community…
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Historically it has been heavily polluted and has been to focus of ongoing legal and political controversy making it of concern to researchers and…
The Amazon River in South America is the largest river by discharge of water in the world, and the longest in length. It moves a huge volume of sediment each year and is of interest to researchers and resource extraction companies….
Marine hydrokinetics (MHK) comprises a range of energy technologies for electricity generation from wave and tidal power. MHK installations can require large areas of ocean, which competes with other marine resources and can be detrimental to marine life and habitats. MHKs are often located at the mouths of ecologically-sensitive estuary systems. This can alter the hydrodynamics and salinity of the system and negatively impact animal and plant life.
Environmental regulations require the development and implementation of watershed plans to meet water quality standards and protect water resources. Engineers and regulators working with impaired or threatened waters must undertake watershed planning that considers all stages in the land development process from land use planning through to land development and post occupancy.
Water temperature has significant and systematic effects on biological processes at all levels of organization, from phytoplankton to whole ecosystems. Temperature influences several other parameters and can alter the physical and chemical properties of water such as dissolved oxygen and photosynthesis production. Some organisms, particularly aquatic plants, flourish in warmer temperatures, while some fishes such as trout or salmon prefer colder streams.
Flood extents modeling is typically carried out to determine impacts of a dam break scenario. Often operators also need to determine the significance of their dam releases in relation to impacts from natural flood events.
Assessing the potential for tail-water scour downstream of a dam is a key issue in hydro projects. Dam failure due to poorly designed spillways and forebays can result in significant loss of life and property. Furthermore, dams often withdraw water from the hypolimnion where dissolved oxygen levels are lower, impacting water quality in the tailwater.
Engineers often need to consider a range of layouts for hydropower intake design. The optimal design can depend on a range of factors including the type, number and location of intake structures.
Coastal waters and estuaries, as well as dams and rivers, are environments with significant impact on the regional economic and recreation activities as well as bio-diversity. These systems have a great range of…
Offshore energy activities can pose significant risk to the environment as demonstrated by Deepwater Horizon and many other historic oil spills. These spills can kill marine mammals and fish and contaminate their food supply for extended periods of time. Determining the transport and fate of spilled oil and/or oil spill responsiveness planning is a pressing need.
Dredging is commonly undertaken to provide deep enough water for vessels to transit safely into, out of, and around harbors by maintaining the depths of navigation channels and berths. Sediment can consist…
Erosion of shorelines can be a significant problem in both open and confined waters. Natural events such as rainfall and run-off, and large ships navigating restricted waterways can cause sediment resuspension….
Extreme weather events such as flooding, hurricanes and storm surge put extra pressure on coastal defenses and adjoining regions. Forecasting and warning services for natural disasters can help save lives but often require installation of flood forecasting and warning systems, along with decision support systems.