Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Coherent Flow Structures in Geophysical Flows at Earth’s Surface

Coherent Flow Structures in Geophysical Flows at Earth’s SurfaceAugust 3-5, 2011 at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES
The interaction between flow structure, mobile sediment and surface morphology has become of central importance in understanding the dynamics of the Earth’s surface. Additionally, managing such flows is a key component of sustainable engineering design/construction as well as in the maintenance of ecological habitats. All such flows, in environments ranging from deserts to rivers to the oceans, are structured across a wide range of spatio-temporal scales, from small-scale turbulent vortices generated at the bed and responsible for grain-motion, to large-scale circulation patterns that generate geomorphic features visible from space. Substantial advances have taken place in the last decade in theoretical/numerical modeling, physical experimentation and field instrumentation, which have greatly expanded our understanding of the dynamics of these flows across this wide range of scales.

This conference will bring together the research community who use numerical simulations, laboratory modeling and field observation to study coherent flow structures, their interaction with sediment, vegetation, and benthic communities, the manipulation of such flow structures for managing sedimentary environments, and the key role they play in Earth surface dynamics. We seek to draw contributions from researchers working on the links between flow structure and the larger scale morphodynamics of sedimentary features within different geomorphic environments, and from across the Earth, environmental and engineering sciences.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
1) Structure of Turbulent Boundary Layers, Ron Adrian, Arizona State University,
2) Inter-relations Between Coherent Flow Structures, Eddy Cascades, and Secondary Flows, Vladimir Nikora, University of Aberdeen
3) Coherent Flow Structures in Atmospheric Flows, Gabriel Katul, Duke University
4) Coherent Flow Structures and Vegetation, Heidi Nepf, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5) Revealing Coherent Flow Structures in Open Channel Flows by Large Eddy Simulation, Thorsten Stoesser, Georgia Institute of Technology
6) The Universe of Coherent Turbulent Structures in Gravity Current Flows, Marcelo García, University of Illinois

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE:
Jeremy G Venditti, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, CAN
            Ph: 778-782-3488 Email: jeremy_venditti@sfu.ca
Jim Best, University of Illinois , Urbana, IL, USA
            Ph: 217 244-1839 Email: jimbest@illinois.edu
Mike Church, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, CAN
            Ph: 604-822-2900, Email: mchurch@ubc.ca
Richard J Hardy, Durham University, Durham, GBR
            Ph: +44 (0)191 3341973, Email: R.J.Hardy@durham.ac.uk
Ian J Walker, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC CAN
            Ph: 250.721.7347, Email: ijwalker@uvic.ca

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
Phil Ashworth, University of Brighton, UK (P.Ashworth@brighton.ac.uk)
Sean Bennett, University at Buffalo, USA (seanb@buffalo.edu)
Jim Best, University of Illinois, USA (jimbest@illinois.edu)
Michael Church, University of British Columbia, CAN (mchurch@ubc.ca)
Alexander R. Horner-Devine, University of Washington, USA (arhd@u.washington.edu)
Ray Kostaschuk University of Guelph and Simon Fraser University, CAN (rkostasc@uoguelph.ca)
Stuart McLelland, University of Hull, UK (s.j.mclelland@hull.ac.uk)
Rich Hardy, Durham University, UK (r.j.hardy@durham.ac.uk)
Jeremy G Venditti, Simon Fraser University, CAN (jeremy_venditti@sfu.ca)
Ian Walker, University of Victoria, CAN (ijwalker@uvic.ca)

PARTICIPATION
We welcome contributions for oral presentation and poster sessions.  A formal call for abstracts will be issued in October with a submission deadline of January 30, 2011.

PUBLICATION PLAN
Our publication plan for the conference is evolving, but we intend to produce a peer-reviewed, SCI-rated book, in the ‘tradition’ established by the conference on Coherent Flow Structures in Open Channel Flows held at Leeds University in 1995.  The book will consist of select research papers based on conference presentations and contributions from keynote speakers.

Invitations to contribute to the book will be extended by the organizers following the abstract submission deadline in January.  The paper submission deadline will be 2 months after the conference.

CONTACTS
You can contact us for further details at CoherentFlowStructures@sfu.ca.

Web site: www.sfu.ca/CoherentFlowStructures/

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