Models capture hydrological processes in coastal environments

Abstract

It is inherently difficult, if not impossible, to observe and make adequate measurement of certain types of natural processes. For instance, whether it is the formation of landscapes, such as deltas, or fine-scale processes, such as the transport of fluids and solutes, water flowing over surfaces has presented major challenges for scientists interested in studying hydrologic processes occurring at the interface of the surface and flowing water. Although researchers have relied on numerical models to simulate hydrological processes that operate along a sediment-water interface, the method has been criticized for not being verified by in situ observations. However, new research shows that numerical simulations based on fluid dynamical properties do broadly mimic hydrological processes at the sediment and flowing water interface, at least in systems where water flows over, below, or adjacent to porous sedimentary surfaces, such as in coastal marine environments.