13 Feb 2025 LNS’ Coastal Engineering Series: Course 3 An Introduction to Coastal Sediment Transport: Problems and Solutions

INTRODUCTION

Sediment Transport is of fundamental importance to Coastal Engineering for shore protection, construction of facilities for ports and harbours, the maintenance dredging of navigation fairways, reclamation and beach nourishment.

This introductory course begins with the basic coastal hydrodynamics resulting in currents and waves, which drive the coastal sediment transport processes (morphodynamics).  The coastal defence measures (both hard and soft ones) have to be accordingly designed, constructed and maintained. This is especially challenging in the Climate Change era with rising temperatures and sea levels, increasing storm surges and changing wave characteristics.

At river estuaries, coastal sediment processes driven by currents and waves interact with the fluvial sediment processes driven by river flows. Therefore, the downstream coastal hydrodynamics and morphodynamics have been taken into account in Sedimentation Studies of Deep Bay and the Shenzhen River, besides river flows and fluvial sediment transport inputs from upstream. Wastewater Treatment Plants and Stormwater Drainage Facilities located on Seafronts are also vulnerable to coastal erosion/accretion and inundation during typhoons.

COURSE OUTLINE

• Nearshore hydrodynamics: Simple Wave Theory, Wave Transformation, Wind Waves, Wave Shoaling and Wave Breaking.
• Coastal Processes: longshore and cross-shore sediment transport, erosion & accretion in the presence of coastal structures, rip currents.
• Coastal Defences based on hard and soft measures: seawalls, breakwaters, beach nourishment, eco-shorelines; strategies against rising sea levels due to Climate Change.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Port Works Division Engineers in CEDD

Project Engineers in CEDD managing reclamation projects.

Drainage Engineers in DSD maintaining main drainage channels in the estuaries and tidal reaches and those managing River Sedimentation Studies.

Drainage Engineers responsible for Building & Civil Maintenance of DSD facilities

SPEAKER

Professor Onyx WAI Wing Hong

Adjunct Professor, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)

Professor WAI graduated in 1991 with a PhD from the Ohio State University, USA, majoring in coastal engineering. His research interests are primarily concerned with the fate and transport of sediment particles in water bodies, with interdisciplinary scopes ranging from the prediction of beach erosion to the quantification of sediment-nutrient exchange rate in the water column. His research approach integrates field investigations, laboratory experiments, and the development and application of high-performance numerical models. In the past ten years, Professor WAI has expanded his research focus to include urban eco-greening. His newly-involved projects investigate the suitability and sustainability of eco-roofs and eco-flood channels in urban areas. He has founded the first Ecohydraulics Research Laboratory in Hong Kong.

Professor WAI has served the PolyU’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering as Chairman of Teaching and Learning Committee for over ten years. During 2012 to 2015, he was Chairman of the Hong Kong Chapter of the International Association of Hydro-environmental Engineering & Research (IAHR-HK). He is currently a member of the Advisory Panel on Coastal Engineering of the HKSAR’s Civil Engineering and Development Department.

MODERATOR

Ir Professor CHAN Pak Keung

Adjunct Professor, University of Hong Kong

Ir Professor CHAN is an Honorary Fellow of the IAHR-HK, an Adjunct Professor of the University of Hong Kong and the former Professor of Practice (Infrastructure) of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Being a former Assistant Director of the Drainage Services Department, he specialises in Flood Management & Wastewater Engineering.

For more information, please An_ Introduction_ to_ Coastal_ Sediment_ Transport_ Problems_ and_ Solutions_ 13_ Feb_ 2025.