Department of Marine Sciences

Sediment Dynamics

(1) General

School:	Of the Environment
Academic Unit:	Department of Marine Sciences
Level of studies:	Undergraduate
Course Code:	191EΩ10E	Semester:	G
Course Title:	Sediment Dynamics
Independent Teaching Activities		Weekly Teaching Hours	Credits
		Total credits	5
Course Type:	Specialised general knowledge
Prerequisite Courses:	No
Language of Instruction and Examinations:	Greek
Is the course offered to Erasmus students:	Yes
Course Website (Url):	https://www.mar.aegean.gr/index.php?lang=en&lesson=1094&pg=3.1.1

(2) Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

After the successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

Understand the basic principles of theory and practice of sediment dynamics
Know the main types of coastal environments and understand their function
Understand the environmental factors controlling coastal geomorphological evolution (morphodynamics)
Understand the marine processes and their interactions and how these facilitate the evolution of the coasts
Maintain an integrated perception of the sediment dynamic processes
Understand the sediment transport processes and know methods for the estimation of shear stress and sediment transport rate
Implement the acquired knowledge
Identify/handle state-of-the-art equipment such current meters, optical backscatter sensors etc and maintain basic knowledge of their operating principles
Search for literature, literature review, compose the acquired knowledge to solve specific issues
Manage time and resources, following the delivery dates of tasks

General Competences

Search for, analysis and synthesis of data and information, with the use of the necessary technology
Working independently
Respect for the natural environment
Production of free, creative and inductive thinking

(3) Syllabus

The course includes the following topics:

Definition and significance. Sediment transport rate. Methods of estimation and forecasting of sediment transport rates. Spatial and temporal scales.
Unidirectional, oscillatory and turbulent flows. Measurement and modelling. Time series quality control, smoothing and filtering.
Density and viscosity. Shear stress and boundary layer. Laminar and turbulent flow. Reynolds number and stresses. Boundary layer differentiation. Boundary Reynolds number. Froude number.
Boundary layer structure. Velocity profile close to the boundary. Laminar sub-layer. Turbulent area and logarithmic layer. Bed roughness. Roughness length and drag coefficient. The law of the wall (Von Karman-Pradtl). Quadratic friction method. Reynolds stresses. Momentum dissipation method.
Description of state-of-the-art equipment and innovative methodologies of collection/analysis of relative field data. Demonstration of use of state-of-the-art acoustic wave-current meters (ADV) and optical backscatter sensors (OBS).
The need for estimation of the threshold of movement. Shields variables, parameter and diagram. Other diagrams. Definition of the threshold of movement. Yalin criterion. Threshold of movement controls.
Bedload and suspended load. Controlling expression and resuspension criterion. Reference concentration. Sediment transport rates. Bagnold theory. Sediment transport expressions.
Wave genesis, development and transformation. Wave spectra. Wave theories.
The role of waves in sediment transport. Coastal wave zones. Wave boundary layer. Wave orbital velocity. Boundary type, wave shear stress and wave friction factor. Total and skin friction shear stress.
Sediment transport due to wave/current interaction. Changes in sediment transport. Grant-Madse -Madsen model for the shear stress and the velocity profile. Threshold of movement and bedload due to wave/current interaction. Formulations of Bijker and Soulsby. Suspended sediment concentration under wave/current interaction. Case study: Necessary data and analysis.
Morphodynamic models, structure and sub-routines. Description of sediment dynamic sub-routine. Energetic approach of bedload and suspended load. Sediment transport in swash zone. Morphological changes.

(4) Teaching and Learning Methods - Evaluation

Delivery:

Face-to-face

Use of Information and Communication Technology:

Use of ICT in teaching (PowerPoint presentations)
Communication with students through the platform eclass and email
Uploading of lecture slides and other educational material on e-class

Teaching Methods:

	Activity	Semester workload
	Lectures	39
	Independent study	73
	Assignment work (individually)	10
	Final exam	3
	*Course total*	125

Student Performance Evaluation:

Written exams (100%). Optional essay can only improve to the final grade.
Students with writing difficulties are tested orally
Language of evaluation: Greek, in case of ERASMUS students: English

(5) Attached Bibliography

- Suggested bibliography:

a) Basic Text books:

- Lecture notes
- Open File Reports of the U.S. Geological Survey (Coastal and Marine Geology Program http://marine.usgs.gov/)

b) Additional References:

- Baillard, J.A. (1981). An energetics total sediment transport model for a plane sloping beach. Journal of Geophysical research, 86, 10938-10954.
- Bijker, E.W, 1967. Some considerations about scales for coastal models with movable bed. Delft Hydraulics Lab. Publ., 50.
- Komar, P.D., 1998. Beach Processes and Sedimentation, Prentice Hall, New Jersey
- Li, Μ., Sherwood, C.R., Hill, P.R., 2012. Sediments, morphology, and sedimentary processes on continental shelves : advances in technologies, research, and applications , Hoboken, NJ : Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, 432pp.
- Paphitis, D., Velegrakis, A.F., Collins, M.B. and Muirhead, S. 2001. Laboratory investigations into the threshold of movement of natural sand-sized sediments, under unidirectional, oscillatory and combined flows. Sedimentology, 48, 645, 659.
- Paul, M., Amos, C.L., 2011. Spatial and seasonal variation in wave attenuation over Zostera noltii. Journal of Geophysical Research 116, C08019.
- Shields, A., 1936. Application of Similarity Principles and Turbulence Research to Bedload Movement. (English Translation of the original German Manuscript). Hydrodynamics Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Publication No 167. 36pp.
- Soulsby, R.L., 1997. Dynamics of marine sands : a manual for practical applications, Telford, London, 249pp.
- Velegrakis, A.F., Collins, M.B., Bastos, A.C., Paphitis, D., and Brampton, A., 2007. Seabed sediment transport pathway investigations: review of scientific approach and methodologies. In P.S. Balson and M.B. Collins (Eds), Coastal and Shelf Sediment Transport, Geological Society of London Special Publication, 274, 127-146.
- Vousdoukas, M.I., Verney, R., Dufois, F., Pinazo, C., Sauzade, D., Meule, S., Cann, P., Plomaritis, T.A., 2011. Sediment dynamics in the Bay of Marseille, Gulf of Lions (France): hydrodynamic forcing vs. Bed erodibility. Journal of Coastal Research 27, 942–958.