Small-scale sediment dynamics near objects in shallow water and the effects of hydrodynamic forcing conditions (tides, waves)
A better understanding of small-scale near-bottom sediment dynamics. Concept thinking in order to measure and map out time-dependent sediment dynamics. Coupling with the burial and exposure cycles of objects on a sandy sea bottom with the focus on megaripple migration as one of the primary mechanisms of burial. Relating these cycles (and its frequency) to (short-term) causal (hydrodynamical and meteorological) processes.
Methodology: High-frequency measurements using side-scan sonar and long-period burial registration mines combined with hydro-meteorological data (ADCP, instrumented tripod, etc.) and detailed sediment analysis from box core samples.
Applications: Military (minehunting and port protection), archaeology (underwater patrimony), aggregate industry, underwater infrastructure (eg. pipelines), salvage (cargo, shipwrecks), underwater technology (coastal observatory).