Environmental Fluid Mechanics

This course will provide students with a fundamental understanding of fluid flows in the environment. The course will provide a foundational understanding of fluid statics and dynamics which respectively relate to pressure forces exerted by standing bodies of water (i.e. in dams and pipe networks) and the behaviour of moving fluids. This will extend into an exploration of boundary layer flows, an understanding of which is essential for predicting mass transport, shear forces, and heat transfer processes at fluid interfaces. Environmental topics such as rocks and soils will be introduced as well. Building on these foundational elements, students will investigate the application of fluid dynamics to environmental systems through the study of closed-channel (pipes and ducts) and open-channel (rivers and irrigation) flows, and flows in porous media, which is of relevance to the study of groundwater and drainage. The course will connect and discuss the interaction of these macro-scale fluid flows to global-scale fluid flows. This course will provide an important focus on indigenous perspectives and contributions to this field of study. Students will be able to draw on course materials that provide diverse gender, cultural, and geographical perspectives on these topics.