Day #2: Goedemiddag ("KHOO duh midakh") -- Good afternoon

 Tuesday, June 5, 2012

So here is the picture of the flume, without water in it, that I promised you all. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but it is absolutely huge!

Today there has been no rain; yahoo! I also enjoyed a nice bike ride to and from the flume. It has been a beautiful, and productive day in the Flume. All of the scientists have been quickly working to set up their experiments in the flume today, because they are going to start filling the flume with water today (it takes about 8 hours to fill). They only have today, and tomorrow to get their experiments set up, and working before we start producing some waves in the flume on Thursday and Friday. All of the equipment has to be set up in a precise manner, and location for the data to be collected properly, and to have accurate data. So, it is a lot of prep-work! Below is a Picture of Dr. Tim Scott (originally from England) who is surveying the location of equipment being placed in the flume. Tim is a post-Doc research scientist from Plymouth University in England. 

I spent the day helping various people setting up their experiments in the flume. We have scientists studying a wide variety of factors involved in beach erosion. Some scientists such as Dr. Charlie Thompson (an Oceanographer and research fellow from the University of Southampton in England), and Hachem Kassem (originally from Lebanon, who also attends the University of Southampton as a Coastal Engineer) are setting up their experiments in the zone that is considered offshore that occurs before the wave breaks. They are looking at wave turbulence, ripple movement, and sediment in the water. Below is a picture Hachem with their equipment they set up in the flume.

Then further up the in more shallow waters, (the surf zone), Vinny Winnie, (from the Netherlands who attends the University of Utrechet in the netherlands) Daan Wesselman, (Also from the Netherlands who attends the University of Utrechet)  and Florent Grasso (orginally from France but now attends the University of Utrechet as well) are using optical sensors (using light) to measure sediment concentration and velocity in the water. Below, I have a picture of what their equipment looks like as it is being set up.

I spent a good part of the day helping Dr. Martin Anderson (originally from Denmark, who is a Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales in Australia), Dan Howe (an Australian, who is a graduate candidate at the University of New South Wales in Australia), Dr. Gabriel Rau (originally from Germany, who is a Post Doc fellow at the University of New South Wales in Australia), and Patrick Lawless (an Australian, who is a Masters student at the University of New South Wales as well). They were setting up several cube-like contraptions that will be buried (4 total) in the sand, and be used to measure water flow rates in the barrier (beneath the sand). Below is a picture of us working on connecting the sensors to it (I am in the blue jacket in case you didn't see me). Then below that, is a picture of  Dan digging a hole to place two of them in. Tomorrow they are going to have to a dig an even deeper hole further up where it is more shallow to place the other two instruments in.

Today was another great day at the Flume! Feel free to post questions on my blog or e-mail me (bsadana@orcsd.org) about the project, specific equipment we are using, questions for the scientists, and anything about life and culture abroad. I will try and answer your questions as quickly as possible.