Modelling pathways of dredged sediment placed on Sturgeon Bank

Sturgeon Bank is a Wildlife Management Area within the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, and west of the City of Richmond, British Columbia. Sturgeon Bank is primarily comprised of intertidal marsh, mud flats and open water, and provides several ecological and coastal risk mitigation benefits. However, monitoring indicates that Sturgeon Banks salt marsh areas have receded by more than 30% since 1986. The Sturgeon Bank Sediment Enhancement Pilot Project (SBSEPP) is a field level pilot project designed in part by the Mitacs partner organization to address the observed marsh recession. The SBSEPP involves the placement of sediments on the mudflats, with the premise that the sediments will be transported onshore by waves and tidal circulation, supporting marsh restoration. Beginning in 2021, three sediment deposits have been completed at Sturgeon Bank, and large quantities of data have been collected to monitor the sites progression. The Mitacs intern will explore the collected data using data analysis and numerical modelling software to provide the Mitacs partner organization with insight into the sediment transport processes observed in the SBSEPP. Such insight is crucial in potential upscaling of project components for marsh restoration throughout the Fraser Delta and throughout Canada at large.

Faculty Supervisor:

Enda Murphy

Student:

Partner:

Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Ltd

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: