Join us on Thursday, July 11 for IRIS graduate student Oscar Villegas Gutierrez’s thesis defense, “Comparative analysis of estimated longshore sediment transport rates with river and dredging fluxes in the Savannah Harbor.”

Abstract: The determination of the relative contributions of inland and marine sources of sediment is essential for accurately predicting and managing sedimentation in harbors (Mulholland and Olsen 1992). The Savannah River navigation channel is characterized by strong tidal currents, which move water and sediments in and out of the system with the rise and fall of tides (Defne, Haas et al. 2011). A MIKE 21/3 integrated model was employed to simulate nearshore waves, currents, and sediment transport. Sediment properties were derived from historical surveys, and the simulations captured the interactions between waves and sediment transport. Longshore sediment transport (LST) was estimated using the empirical CERC formula. The hydrodynamic and wave model exhibited strong predictive capabilities, with high correlation and low average errors between observed and predicted results. Similarly, the wave simulation model demonstrated satisfactory accuracy. The calculated longshore sediment transport (LST) rates were found to be consistent with regional LST rates.

Time: Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 2:00 PM via Zoom

Location: I-STEM Research Building 2 – Room 3205

Major Professor: Matthew Bilskie

Co-Major Professor: Mark Risse

Committee Members: Clark Alexander, Mark Risse, and Matthew Bilskie

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/95986104856