Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Coastal and Estuarine Studies, Volume 50. Continental shelves, coastal seas and estuaries contain many valuable resources for economic, social, tourist and recreational activity. The majority of the world's largest cities are located on the coastline. For example, 86% of the total Australian population is located in the coastal zone. Almost 75% of the global harvest of fisheries comes from coastal areas. However, it is also the region into which anthropogenic wastes are discharged, leading to degradation of the environment. As we become more aware of the consequences of these discharges, and develop new management strategies to avoid detrimental effects in estuaries and coastal regions, it is clear that an understanding of mixing processes plays a very important role in dispersion of introduced contaminants. This volume consists of 30 papers, each dealing with different aspects of mixing processes in the marine environment. The following topics are covered: inner continental shelf processes, shelf?]estuary interactions, estuarine processes, sediment transport processes, ocean outfalls, and theoretical studies. The majority of the papers include results of field experiments with some degree of integration with numerical and/or analytical models. A wide variety of environments from different countries are presented. These include micro?] and macro?]tidal environments, areas influenced by major oceanic current systems, enclosed and semi?]enclosed embayments, and mangrove environments.

This book is an introductory treatment to coastal and estuarine processes for earth scientists or engineers. Suitable for a first course on the subject, it covers water waves, surf zone hydrodynamics, tides in oceans and estuaries, storm surges, estuarine mixing, basic sediment transport, coastal morphodynamics and coastal groundwater dynamics. The book contains a substantial amount of new material. For example, the explicit, analytical treatment of transient, forced long waves strongly enhances the discussion on tsunami, storm surges and surf beat. The treatment of turbulent mixing includes finite mixing length effects, which provide an explanation for differential diffusion of different sediment sizes in suspension. The recently discovered effects of acceleration skewness and boundary layer streaming are also included in the basic sediment transport models. In addition, the treatment of beach groundwater dynamics: The mechanisms by which waves as well as tides drive groundwater motion, builds the link between the previously unconnected fields of coastal hydraulics and regional groundwater modeling. To serve as an effective reference book for professionals, the book is fully indexed and comprehensively cross referenced.

In Physical Processes in Estuaries the present day knowledge of the physics of transport phenomena in estuaries and their mathematical treatment is summarized: It is divided into following parts: - Water movements in estuaries - Estuarine fronts and river plumes - Internal waves and interface stability - Fine sediment transport, aggregation of particles, settling velocity of mud flocs - Sedimentation and erosion of fine sediments. For each topic an up-to-date review and recommendations for future research are given, followed by results of original studies. Since estuarine environments are the first to be threatened by urbanization and industrial exploitation this book is an important tool for students and researchers of environmental problems as well as for consultants and water authorities.

This book is an outgrowth of research contributions and teaching experiences by all the authors in applying modern fluid mechanics to problems of pollutant transport and mixing in the water environment. It should be suitable for use in first year graduate level courses for engineering and science students, although more material is contained than can reasonably be taught in a one-year course, and most instructors will probably wish to cover only selected potions. The book should also be useful as a reference for practicing hydraulic and environmental engineers, as well as anyone involved in engineering studies for disposal of wastes into the environment. The practicing consulting or design engineer will find a thorough explanation of the fundamental processes, as well as many references to the current technical literature, the student should gain a deep enough understanding of basics to be able to read with understanding the future technical literature evolving in this evolving field.

The tide is the greatest synchronised movement of matter on our planet. Every drop of seawater takes part in tidal motion, driven by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. At the coast, we see the tide as a twice-daily rise and fall of sea level that moves the edge of the sea up and down a beach or cliff-face. In some places, the tide is small but at others it can rise in a few hours by the height of a three storey building; it then has to be treated with great respect by those who live and work by the sea. In this Very Short Introduction David George Bowers and Emyr Martyn Roberts explore what we know about the tides. Blending clear explanations of well known tidal phenomena with recent insights in the deep ocean and coastal seas, Bowers and Roberts use examples from around the world, to tell the story of the tide, considering its nature and causes, its observation and prediction, and unusual tides and their relevance. They explore why tides have attracted the attention of some of the world's greatest scientists, from the initial challenge of explaining why there are two tides a day when the moon and sun pass overhead just once; a problem that was solved by Isaac Newton. In the 19th century, scientists unravelled the rhythms of the tide; good tidal predictions in the form of tide tables were then possible. The predictions were made on beautiful tide predicting machines constructed of brass and mahogany, some of which can still be seen in maritime museums. In the 20th century, the importance of tides as mixers of sea water became evident. As Bowers and Roberts explore, tidal mixing of the ocean is essential for maintaining its deep circulation, a key part of the climate-control system of our planet. In inshore waters, tidal mixing enhances biological productivity, influences sea temperature and turbidity and creates dramatic features such as maelstroms and tidal bores. In the 21st century, space probes are examining the effects of tidal processes on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn and the possibility of tidally-heated liquid oceans with their own ecosystems. Looking to the cutting edge of tidal research, Bowers and Roberts also consider how we can study the role of the tide in the geological and biological evolution of our own planet with innovative computer models. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

This book covers water waves, surf zone hydrodynamics, tides in oceans and estuaries, storm surges, estuarine mixing, basic sediment transport, coastal morphodynamics and coastal groundwater dynamics. It is an introductory treatment, suitable for a first course in coastal and estuarine processes for earth scientists or engineers. Yet, there are substantial amounts of new material that are included, such as the explicit, analytical treatment of transient, forced long waves. Inclusion of this material will in turn strongly enhance the introductory treatment of tsunami, storm surges and surf beat. The treatment of sine wave theory emphasizes expressions which are explicit in the water depth h (using koh instead of kh) so that they can easily be differentiated or integrated with respect to h. This is a major pedagogical advantage because of the enhanced transparency. The treatment of turbulent mixing includes finite mixing length effects which provide an explanation for differential diffusion of different sediment sizes in suspension. The effects of acceleration skewness and boundary layer streaming are also included in the basic sediment transport models. The inclusion of beach groundwater dynamics — including the mechanisms by which waves as well as tides drive groundwater motion — provides a link between the previously unconnected fields of coastal hydraulics and regional groundwater modeling. Serving as a good reference book, it is fully indexed and comprehensively cross referenced. Abundant references to more detailed texts are also provided.