On sedimentation processes in a stratified estuarine system

On the interaction between tides and stratification in the Rhine Region of Freshwater Influence

On techniques for modelling coastal and ocean flow with unstructured meshes

Unstructured Orthogonal Meshes for Modeling Coastal and Ocean Flows

In this thesis a z?layer unstructured C-grid finite volume hydrostatic model is presented. An efficient and highly scalable implicit technique for the solution of the free surface equation is combined with an Eulerian approach for the advection of momentum. A consistent velocity reconstruc- tion procedure which not only satisfies the continuity...

A new numerical model for simulating the propagation of and inundation by tsunami waves

This thesis has involved the development of an unstructured grid ocean model, H2Ocean, with accurate flooding and drying algorithms for tsunami studies. The research is co-funded by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany, as part of their contribution to the German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System, which is installed...

Suspended Particulate Matter Formation And Accumulation In The Delta: From Monitoring To Modelling

Coastal areas are subjected to major anthropogenic influences, as they are traditionally economically important regions, which is reflected by the presence of harbours, especially at river mouths. The Dutch coastal area is influenced by the discharge of fresh water from the Rhine river that creates the Rhine Region Of Freshwater Influence (Rhine...

Rheological Analysis of Mud: Towards an Implementation of the Nautical Bottom Concept in the Port of Hamburg

The nautical bottom (the level at which contact with a ship’s keel causes either damage or unacceptable effects on controllability and manoeuvrability of a ship) should be associated to a measurable physical characteristic. Bulk density is typically used as a criterion for nautical bottom by many ports worldwide. However, the rheological...

Boundary-interior exchanges controlling the labrador sea dynamics

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) quantifies the strength of the northward surface transports and southward deeper transports in the Atlantic Ocean. In particular, as warm surface waters flow northward in the Atlantic they gradually cool on they journey releasing heat to the atmosphere. Then, in the subpolar and polar...

Dynamics of the Caribbean: Ocean Eddies and Thermohaline Staircases

Surf Wave Hydrodynamics in the Coastal Environment

Stochastic wave models play a central role in our present-day wave modelling capabilities. They are frequently used to compute wave statistics, to generate boundary conditions and to include wave effects in coupled model systems. Historically, such models were developed to predict the wave field evolution in deep water where the conditions of...

Accuracy and efficiency in numerical river modelling: Investigating the large effects of seemingly small numerical choices

A river engineer is challenged with the task of setting up an appropriate model for a certain application. The model needs to provide suitable answers to the questions asked (i.e. be effective) and needs to do this within the available time (i.e. be efficient). To set up such a model with sufficient accuracy and certainty, a modeller needs to...

Effects of a stratified tidal flow on the morphodynamics

This thesis examines the effects of the stratified tidal flow on the morphodynamics of the Dutch inner shelf. The south portion of the Dutch inner shelf is strongly influenced by the Rhine River ROFI (Region Of Freshwater Influence), which is generated by the discharge from the Rhine River through the Rotterdam waterways. Under stratified...

Subgrid is Dancing with Sediment: A Full Subgrid Approach for Morphodynamic Modelling

The role of asymmetries in Nordic Seas dynamics

The oceanic transport of heat and salt from the equator northward is one of the main reasons for the mild climate of Europe. This transport occurs in the upper layer of the ocean. In the north, strong cooling occurs due to the large difference in temperature between the ocean surface and the atmosphere. The cooled watermass has a higher density...

On the dynamics of tidal plume fronts in the Rhine Region of Freshwater Influence

River plumes are the link between the river and the ocean, and therefore play an important role for the health of coastal and marine ecosystems. As a result of human activity in coastal areas, the freshwater discharge transports anthropogenic inputs into the ocean. It is therefore important to understand the processes controlling transport,...

Modelling waves and their impact on moored ships

Ships that are moored at a berth in coastal waters are subject to various external forcings, including the hydrodynamic loads that are induced by the local wave field. If the ship motions resulting from these wave-induced loads become too large, they may hamper safe operations (e.g., the loading of a container ship). Accurate predictions of the...