Coastal and fluvial sediment transport, sediment analysis, historical and contemporary morphodynamics
The Intertidal Coastal Sediment Transport (In_CoaST) Research Unit seeks to examine the interactions and feedbacks that occur between topography, biota, hydrodynamic and sedimentary processes and the resultant adjustment of intertidal morphology. Of particular interest is the response of intertidal environments to changes in forcing functions (e.g. wind, waves, currents, sediment, vegetation, topography, tidal energy and climate changes) and how human activities (e.g. coastal engineering, tidal power development) impact this response. The unit includes a suite of state-of-the-art, autonomous instrumentation pods that can provide simultaneous measurement and visualization of sediment transport, deposition, erosion and vegetative processes in the coastal intertidal zone, including historical analyses. It is complemented by a comprehensive sedimentological lab with a Coulter Multisizer 3 instrument.
- 3D flow velocity
- Sediment transport and concentration
- Grain-size analysis
- Organic-matter and carbon-content analysis
- Coastal evolution
- Low-altitude aerial photography (blimp)
- Coastal wetland restoration
- Environmental technologies and related services
- Ocean industries
Specialized labs and equipment
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| Coulter Multisizer 3 | Particle analysis, size distribution |
| Nortek velocimeters (3 ADVs) | 3D velocity at point and depth |
| Nortek shallow-water acoustic Doppler probe (1 ADCP), upward facing | 3D velocity water column, acoustic backscatter, depth |
| Nortek Vectrino ADV | 3D velocity and bottom tracking, high resolution, lab only |
| ISCO automated suspended sediment water sampler | Timed bottle samples of water and suspended particulate matter |
| Muffle furnace and drying oven | Water content, organic-matter content by loss on ignition |
| Optical backscatter (OBS) probe (2) | Suspended-sediment concentration |
| RBR XR-420 logger | Temperature, salinity, turbidity |
| RBRduet3 T.D|wave 16 submersible temperature and depth sensor (5) | Temperature, depth, waves, tides |
| RBRsolo3 D|wave 16 depth sensor (10) | Temperature, waves, tides |
| Campbell and Hoskin portable meteorological stations (2) | Wind speed, direction, temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure |
| SonTek RiverSurveyor M9 and HydroSurveyor Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) | 3D velocity water column and acoustic backscatter and depth |
| Water level loggers (13) | In situ measures of water depth |
Private and public sector research partners
- CB Wetlands and Environmental Specialists (CBWES) Inc.
- Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture
- Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Bedford Institute of Oceanography)
- Ecology Action Centre
- Dalhousie University
Additional information
| Title | URL |
|---|---|
| Making Room for Wetlands | https://www.transcoastaladaptations.com/making-room-for-wetlands |
| Making Room for Movement | https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c83d5c63560c33561cc74de/t/61af943a0624555b127356c0/16388967… |
| NSERC ResNet – Landscape 1: Bay of Fundy Dykeland Futures | https://www.nsercresnet.ca/landscape-1---bay-of-fundy.html |
| Makadunyiswe Ngulube’s research is helping Nova Scotians adapt to rising sea levels | https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/02/28/news/student-studies-how-plants-can-soften-devastating-… |
| The ecology of innovation | http://springboardatlantic.ca/success-stories/the-ecology-of-innovation |
| Energy production affects Nova Scotia’s coastal ecosystems: how? | http://www.smu.ca/webfiles/SmartsNewsletterSpring2011 |
| Far-field effects of energy extraction on salt marsh hydrodynamics and depositional processes in the Minas Basin (Fundy Energy Research Network) | http://fern.acadiau.ca/custom/fern/document_archive/repository/documents/176.pdf |