How much room for the river? Balancing societal and environmental targets in river management and restoration

River management aims to balance environmental needs such as habitat against the protection of infrastructure (e.g. roads, pipelines, property) from flooding, erosion, and other geohazards. The ability to effectively navigate this trade-off stems from a fundamental understanding of how rivers function. However, management projects often rely on highly simplified models of river processes (such as sediment transport) that are subject to significant uncertainties, and subsequently, these projects are often ineffective. The proposed research aims to improve upon our understanding of river processes through scaled physical models and numerical simulations. The project provides a broad scope for scientific publications surrounding river processes and will contribute practical tools that may help to improve the management of environmental and economic assets.

Faculty Supervisor:

Marwan Hassan

Student:

Partner:

BGC Engineering Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: