Virginia Tech

We study the movement of water, sediment, and other substances in a range of aquatic environments (e.g., rivers, lakes, estuaries, and the ocean). A broad topic of interest for us within this theme is how the interaction between the flow and sediment forms and sculpts our waterways and landscapes. We study such processes at small spatial and temporal scales where turbulent motion and the interaction of individual sediment particles in the bed or water column influence the dynamics at play. We also study these processes at larger scales where drivers such as climate, manmade alterations to rivers, or the installation of infrastructure influence rivers and deltas over time scales of years to centuries. Major equipment include: flumes, delta tanks, flocculation tanks, PIV and ADV systems.