701-1316-00L Physical Transport Processes in the Natural Environment

Abstract	Fluid flows transport all manner of biologically important gases, nutrients, toxins, contaminants, spores and seeds, as well as a wide range of organisms themselves. This course explores the physics of fluids in the natural environment, with emphasis on the transport, dispersion, and mixing of solutes and entrained particles, and their implications for biological and biogeochemical processes.
Learning objective	Students will learn key concepts of fluid mechanics and how to apply them to environmental problems. Weekly exercises based on real-world data will develop core skills in analysis, interpretation, and problem-solving.
Content	dimensional analysis, similarity, and scaling solute transport in laminar and turbulent flows transport and dispersion in porous media transport of sediment (and adsorbed contaminants) by air and water anomalous dispersion
Lecture notes	The course is under development. Lecture materials will be distributed as they become available.