Channel vegetation plays an important role in the aquatic-ecosystem health of rivers, streams, and constructed water courses. Vegetation can occupy the entire width or just part of the stream, leading to different features of the flow disturbances. In a natural environment, the aquatic vegetations have different characteristics. They appear as submerged or emerged, rigid or flexible, leafed or leafless, have branches or rods, and with high or low density. Obviously, the additional drag due to the vegetation presence increases the resistance to the channel flow and consequently the risk for flooding increases. Therefore, understanding of the flow dynamic of vegetated channel is of crucial importance to ensure successful implementation of the stream conception and management. According to previous studies it was observed that flow around large patches of vegetation is characterized by the formation of a shear turbulent mixing layer at the interface between the vegetated and open channels. Despite the many studies on flow in partly vegetated open channels, this issue remains of fundamental importance in order to better understand the interaction between the flow behavior and the canopy structure. In this study we propose a new theoretical approach, based on flow momentum equations, which are capable of modeling the flow pattern within the shear layer in the unobstructed domain, adjacent to the canopy area. Details regarding the evolution of the shear layer and the turbulence structures are presented. New observations on the flow momentum exchange between the obstructed and unobstructed domains are illustrated. To validate the proposed theoretical model, many experiments were carried out on a physical model of a very large rectangular channel (4x15x0.4m) with the presence of an array of vertical, rigid and circular steel cylinders. The array of cylinders was partially mounted on the bottom of the channel, in the central part, leaving two lateral areas of free flow circulation near the walls. The three-dimensional flow velocity components were measured using a 3D Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter ADV. In contrast to the complexity of the flow distribution within canopies, in the unobstructed flow area, independently on the canopy characteristics, it was observed that the flow distribution always resembles a boundary layer feature. This implies the possibility of an easy flow interpretation at this area, which was the aim of this study. In this study, a simple expression of the main equilibrium flow velocity, at the interface between both domains, was determined as a function of the lateral positions. This expression was derived using the proposed theoretical approach and then experimentally proved. Based on the analysis of the experimental data, in this model we take into consideration the additional contribution of the secondary flow velocity component on the flow momentum balance, which was neglected in previous studies. Since it was observed tha

La situazione dell’intero territorio che si affaccia sui Mari di Taranto è alquanto complessa e risente certamente della presenza e della concentrazione di attività industriali e militari a forte impatto ambientale, tanto da rendere necessaria l’inclusione dell’area tarantina nel novero dei SIN (Siti di Interesse Nazionale) così come individuati dal Programma Nazionale di Bonifica e di Ripristino Ambientale (D.M. 18 settembre 2001 n. 468). Per quanto riguarda l’ambiente acquatico, la presenza e distribuzione dei contaminanti ed il loro accumulo, soprattutto nei sedimenti e nel biota dei Mari di Taranto è potenzialmente legato a processi di trasporto (attraverso le acque sotterranee, il dilavamento dei terreni, ecc.) nonché all’idrodinamica dei bacini (flussi di marea, correnti, ecc.) e all’influenza delle attività antropiche negli stessi (prelievo di acque ai fini industriali, movimentazione di mezzi navali all’interno dei bacini, ecc.). Diversi studi condotti nel corso degli anni sulla contaminazione dell’area marina costiera di Taranto hanno riguardato la caratterizzazione dei sedimenti marini da inquinanti organici, evidenziando criticità ambientali. Risulta pertanto imprescindibile una continua attività di monitoraggio ambientale nei Mari di Taranto, che può trovare un supporto anche nella modellistica numerica. In precedenti ricerche si è già sottolineato quanto siano numerose le azioni forzanti che condizionano la circolazione e, quindi, la diffusione di inquinanti in quest’area target. Nel presente studio, pertanto, si è proceduto nel modo seguente. Si sono acquisite la batimetria e le principali grandezze del clima meteo-marino dell’area. Successivamente sono state effettuate diverse misure di campo della corrente marina mediante un profilatore acustico Doppler (ADCP) montato su una barca, che ha fornito set completi di dati sull’intera colonna d’acqua. Durante le campagne di misura si è utilizzata anche una sonda CTD per la misura della salinità e della temperatura alle varie profondità investigate e, infine, è stato usato un anemometro per la misura della velocità e direzione del vento. In questo modo, per le singole giornate di misura, è stato possibile redigere delle mappe della velocità della corrente (orizzontale è verticale), della salinità e della temperatura a differenti profondità. Si è installata inoltre in Mar Grande, nell’ambito del progetto RITMARE, con fondi PON R&C 2007-2013, una stazione meteo-oceanografica i cui dati correntometrici sono stati analizzati con riferimento ad alcuni periodi di interesse. Si tratta di informazioni essenziali per comprendere alcuni trend caratteristici ed alcune situazioni tipiche del bacino, ancorché fortemente influenzate dalle condizioni contingenti dei giorni in cui le misure sono state condotte. Pertanto, le informazioni acquisite non possono essere generalizzate. Ad ogni modo risultano essenziali per la calibrazione del modello numerico adottato per la riproduzione della circola

Real time current measurements using an AWAC Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) were carried out on February 2010 inside and outside the Port of Bari, located in the Southern Italy, along the Adriatic Sea. These surveys represent part of a wide field data collection program, whose aim is to study and model the hydrodynamics and water quality of the Port of Bari and its surrounding areas.The principal purpose of the present work is to analyze the current circulation in the port. Useful information referring to sedimentation processes and possible pollutants dispersion can be derived from the collected current data. Moreover, the same measurements can be used as input data for the calibration of numerical models able to simulate the current patterns in the target area. Data collected are of crucial importance for the port management and monitoring of water aquatorium. Key words: Current measurements, Port of Bari, Hydrodynamic, Current circulation, Numerical models, Monitoring.

Velocity data, undertaken during a survey carried out in March 2010, offshore the coast of Bari (located on the Adriatic Sea in Southern Italy), are analysed and discussed in the present paper. Measurements were acquired by means of a Vessel Mounted Acoustic Doppler Velocity Profiler (VM-ADCP). Furthermore, some data about current temperature and salinity were also collected at the same time and locations. The current flow was south-eastward directed during the investigations and it had a quite homogeneous direction along the vertical, while velocity intensities diminished whit deepening waters. Some numerical simulations were run to reproduce the coastal hydrodynamics. They were forced by the real wind and tide and confirmed the investigated current pattern. Also the vertical profiles of measured current velocities were studied and compared with some experimental laws, such as the logarithmic law, usually used to reproduce uniform flows in simple channel configurations. A successful validation of the experimental laws was achieved.

An analytical study for the prediction of shallow flow motions in a very large partially vegetated channel with a free surface is presented. As observed by some previous studies, at the interface between the vegetated and non-vegetated domains, the shear layer was found to possess two distinct length scales. An inner-layer thickness establishes by the array resistance and a wider outer region, which resembles a boundary layer, has a width set by the water depth and bottom friction. In this study, we shall try to reveal some other attitudinal flow patterns at the interface between the two domains. Details regarding the evolution of the shear layers, the turbulence structures and momentum exchange are presented. To validate the proposed analytical model, a large series of experiments was carried out in a very large rectangular channel with presence of partially array of vertical, rigid, circular steel cylinders. The three-dimensional flow velocity components were measured using a 3D Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter ADV.

This paper describes a theoretical approach of longitudinal turbulent flow in an infinite square array of emergent rigid vegetation distributed uniformly along a channel bottom. Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the flow velocity characteristics in order to confirm this theoretical approach. The vegetation was simulated by an array of straight, rigid, circular and rough iron cylinders mounted on the bed of a recirculating hydraulic flume. Measurements of the threedimensional flow velocity components were taken using a 3D Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter ADV. The formulation proposed is consistent with the experimental data for a specific range of the Reynolds number. In addition, a new formula to estimate the bulk drag coefficient CD of the vegetation is suggested and validated.

This paper deals with measurements of the three-velocity components of a vertical, round, turbulent jet discharged into a vegetated cross flow. Over the last years, a large number of experimental studies and numerical models on turbulent jets discharged into a cross flow have been carried out, as well as several studies on vegetated channels. However, these studies show a lack of data regarding the combination between the vegetated channels and jets. The present study aimed at obtaining a more thorough understanding of the vegetation effects on the jet behaviors. To simulate the vegetation, arrays of emergent, rigid, circular steel cyl-inders were used. The jet source was placed at the centre of the experimental vegetated area. The time-averaged velocity field was investigated in the longitudinal, cross and horizontal planes of the channel. The results show that vegetation has significant effects on the jet structure as compared with the case of non-vegetated channel. Above all, the rigid stems reduce streamwise velocities, giving rise to an increase of the jet penetration height within the ambient flow. Moreover, the familiar pair of counter-rotating vortices and kid-ney shape observed in the cross section of the jet discharged into the non-vegetated channel disappears and transforms under the effects of stems into a complex flow motion structure for the jet discharged into the vegetated flume.

Despite the many studies on flow in partly obstructed open channels, this issue remains of fundamental importance in order to better understand the interaction between flow behavior and the canopy structure. In the first part of this study we suggest a new theoretical approach able to model the flow pattern within the shear layer in the unobstructed domain, adjacent to the canopy area. Differently from previous studies, the new analytical solution of flow momentum equations takes into account the transversal velocity component of the flow, which is modelled as a linear function of the streamwise velocity. The proposed theoretical model is validated by different experiments carried out on a physical model of a very large rectangular channel by the research group of the Department of Civil, Environmental, Building Engineering and Chemistry of the Technical University of Bari. An array of vertical, rigid, and circular steel cylinders was partially mounted on the bottom in the central part of the flume, leaving two lateral areas of free flow circulation near the walls. The three-dimensional flow velocity components were measured using a 3D Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter. A comparison of the measured and predicted data of the present study with those obtained in other previous studies, carried out with different canopy density, show a non-dependence of this analytical solution on the array density and the Reynolds number. In the second part of the paper, detailed observations of turbulent intensities and spanwise Reynolds stresses in the unobstructed flow are analyzed and discussed. Differently from some earlier studies, it was observed that the peak of the turbulence intensity and that of the spanwise Reynolds stress are significantly shifted toward the center of the shear layer.

The coastal areas neighbouring wastewater outfalls are particularly sensitive and vulnerable, therefore they should be continuously monitored. The present paper examines the results of a monitoring survey carried out in July 2001 offshore the Bari town, in the Southern Adriatic Sea (South Italy), close to the outfall of its wastewater treatment plant, named Bari East. Measurements of horizontal and vertical velocity components were carried out with a Vessel Mounted Acoustic Doppler Profiler. Also salinity and temperature were assessed at the same time and locations by means of a CTD probe. The investigation confirms the pivotal role played by currents magnitude and direction, wind, tide and stratification in the process of diffusion and dispersion of passive tracers (such as temperature and salinity). As a second step, the MIKE 3FM, a 3D numerical model by the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) is tested to reproduce the hydrodynamic current pattern and the diffusion of the plume in the target area. The model was implemented with initial and boundary conditions relative to the survey day and the assessed measurements were used to calibrate it, by tuning some parameters, such as the wind drag coefficient, the bottom roughness and a turbulence closure model coefficient. A satisfactory agreement was found between field measurements and model results, showing that in the target area the modelled hydrodynamics was prevalently influenced by the wind drag coefficient and less affected by bottom roughness and turbulence. The present approach confirms that, once calibrated and validated, a numerical model could be a powerful instrument to support both planning and management of coastal activities. In fact, it could allow to predict the possible dispersion of a polluting tracer when a scenario is established, thus providing some useful maps of spreading.

It can be seen in literature that the fundamental factors governing oblique shock wave development, typically in very large channels with straight sidewalls, have not yet been completely understood and remain at the level of indicating its presence and formation. In this study, some aspects of boundary layer development and its detachment from the channel lateral sidewall are investigated. At the detachment point of the lateral shock waves, it was noted that the displacement thickness experiences a significant increase; this is accompanied by a significantly reduced gradient normal to the channel side-walls of the flow velocity as well as the occurrence of a strong, sudden adverse pressure gradient. Furthermore, it is argued that the supersonic flow separation analogy with a supercritical free surface flow can be applied to this case study and that the behavior of the supercritical flow during separation can be interpreted by the free interaction theory.

The dynamics of regular breaking waves has been both widely and successfully investigated. In any case, many natural coastal processes are commonly due to irregular breaking waves, the behaviour of which requires thorough study. The present research aims to investigate the distributions of the wave and turbulent Reynolds shear stresses in a laboratory irregular wave, characterized by a narrow banded spectrum, which develops on a sloping sand bottom, in intermediate waters. Experiments focused on the wave shoaling region, in order to analyze the effects of breaking induced turbulence outside the surf zone, taking into account that turbulence is not limited to the breaking region but it spreads also outside the surf zone. The phase-averaging technique was used to separate the turbulent components from the steady ones. All the analysed values derive directly from real measurements and are not interpolated. Moreover, a 3D Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter was adopted to measure the wave velocity, consequently the longshore component of the velocity is also available to estimate the shear stresses. These experimental data were also used to test some literary numerical models and relevant results have been obtained, which confirm the outputs of the abovementioned models in the cases of non dissipative waves propagating above a flat bottom and dissipative waves propagating over a sloping bottom.

Il mare ha da sempre avuto un ruolo fondamentale nella storia, anche come grande risorsa economica. Molte attività sono basate sul mare e sui suoi prodotti, che, pertanto, vanno salvaguardati. In particolare in questa memoria viene trattato il tema dell’erosione costiera, evidenziando lo stato generale delle coste europee e di quelle italiane. Viene presentato un maggiore dettaglio per la situazione pugliese. Nel lavoro vengono evidenziate alcune modalità corrette con cui è necessario intervenire nelle zone costiere, in considerazione della particolare delicatezza degli ecosistemi marini, ai fini della difesa delle coste dall’erosione e, in generale, della difesa dai rischi territoriali.

Many coastal processes, such as long-shore and cross-shore currents, the dynamic equilibrium of beaches or the sediment transport are strictly correlated to the flow structure in the surf zone. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the behavior of breaking waves, focusing on the modifications of undertow and Reynolds shear stresses. For a long period, the Hydraulic research group of the Technical University of Bari has been carrying out many experiments in two different laboratory wave flumes of the Department of Civil, Environmental, Building Engineering and Chemistry. A Laser Doppler Anemometry system and a 3D Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter have been used to measure the wave field. To confirm some previous literature results and provide innovative insights on the turbulent behavior of the waves, also new measurements will be carried out with innovative instrumentation in a new wave flume, funded by PON PrInCE (20011–2014) and under construction.

The formation of different undular hydraulic jumps in a very large channel is investigated and reproduced using a weakly-compressible XSPH scheme which includes a mixing-length turbulence model. An analysis of the ability and of the limits of the SPH method to reproduce undular hydraulic jumps is preliminarily performed on reference two-dimensional cases. The numerical description of the three-dimensional jump in a very large channel, where the hydraulic-jump front is trapezoidal and the lateral shock waves induce a large recirculation region along the side walls, is compared with experiments in a laboratory flume on two undular jumps at upstream Froude number equal to 3.9 and 8.3. Acoustic Doppler velocity measurements were compared with SPH instantaneous and time-averaged flow fields in order to evaluate whether the numerical method could help in having a clearer understanding of both hydraulic-jump development and lateral shockwave formation. The predicted free-surface elevations and velocity profiles show a satisfactory agreement with measurements and most of the peculiar features of the flow, such as the trapezoidal shape of the wave front and the flow separations at the toe of the oblique shock wave along the side walls, are qualitatively and quantitatively reproduced.

The present research aims to investigate the dynamics of a single laboratory irregular wave, characterized by a narrow-banded spectrum and developing on a sloping sand bottom, in intermediate waters up to the surf zone. Experiments focused on the wave shoaling region, in order to examine how the wave is affected by breaking induced turbulence offshore the surf zone. A 3D acoustic Doppler velocimeter was used to measure the three wave velocity components, which were all processed to evaluate the time-averaged vertical distributions of orbital velocities, wave and turbulent Reynolds shear stresses and turbulent intensities. The vertical distributions of the phase-averaged velocity components, turbulent kinetic energy and transport of turbulence were also analysed. The adopted phase-averaging technique was applied to each investigated measurement point. Therefore, the crucial element of the study is that all the analysed values derive directly from real measurements and are not approximated by any kind of interpolation. The study confirmed some dynamic behaviour in the shoaling zone already known in the literature, such as the typical cell-type flow pattern of the mean flow and the necessity to evaluate the turbulent kinetic energy with all the three velocity components, when available, which would otherwise be underestimated. Referring to the time-averaged wave and Reynolds shear stresses, a contribution was added to the open debate on their order of magnitude. The measured wave Reynolds shear stresses were also compared with the results of the model by Zou et al. (J Geophys Res 111:C09032, 2006), confirming the behaviour typical of dissipative breaking waves. The analysis of turbulence transport in the shoaling zone revealed that it is seaward directed close to the surface and landward directed close to the bottom. The results presented in the paper can be extended only to other analogous flow conditions.

This paper considers the effect of artificial viscosity in smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) computations of six different regular waves. The purpose is to improve the modelling of physically real effects and thereby make SPH a more attractive modelling option. The essence of the proposed method is to avoid running the simulation with different values of the empirical coefficient used in artificial viscosity in order to find the optimum value of this parameter for a given problem. Thorough calibration of the SPH’s numerical parameters is performed through the comparison between numerical and experimental data. Among the various parameters involved, the smoothing length and the particle resolution are mportant in shaping the results. The analysis onfirms that when the ratio of particle spacing to smoothing length and the particle resolution useful for different computational domains have been defined, the empirical coefficient depends only on the type of wave breaking in term of the Irribarren number.

The present study examines the vertical structure of the coastal current in the inner part of the Gulf of Taranto, located in the Ionian Sea (Southern Italy), including both the Mar Grande and Mar Piccolo basins. To this aim, different measuring stations investigated by both a Vessel Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (VM-ADCP) and a bottom fixed ADCP were taken into consideration. Two surveys were carried out in the target area on 29.12.2006 and on 11.06.2007 by the research unit of the Technical University of Bari (DICATECh Department), using a VM-ADCP to acquire the three velocity components along the water column in selected stationing points. The measurements were taken in shallow waters, under non-breaking wave conditions, offshore the surf zone. Due to the recording frequency of the instrument time-averaged vertical velocity profiles could be evaluated in these measuring stations. Water temperature and salinity were also measured at the same time and locations by means of a CTD recorder. A rigidly mounted ADCP, located on the seabed in the North-Eastern area of the Mar Grande basin, provided current data relative to the period 10–20 February 2014. Set to acquire the three velocity components with higher frequency with respect to the VM-ADCP, it allowed us to estimate the turbulent quantities such as Reynolds stresses and turbulent kinetic energy by means of the variance method. Therefore, the present research is made up of two parts. The first part examines the current pattern measured by the VM-ADCP and verifies that, for each station, the classical log law reproduces well the vertical profile of the experimental streamwise velocities extending beyond its typical limit of validity up to the surface i.e. reaching great heights above the sea bed. This behavior is quite new and not always to be expected, being generally limited to boundary layers. It has been convincingly observed in only few limited experimental works. In the present study this occurred when two conditions were met: (i) the flow was mainly unidirectional along the vertical; (ii) the interested layer was non-stratified. The second part of the research studies the turbulent statistics derived from the beam signals of the fixed ADCP by means of the variance method. This technique had the advantage of being able to measure the time evolution of the turbulent mixing throughout the entire water column, thus making it possible to perform a detailed study on momentum transfer and turbulence. The deduced vertical profiles of the Reynolds stresses and of the turbulent kinetic energy TKE showed an increasing trend toward the surface, in agreement with previous results in literature. New data-sets of mean velocities and shear stresses, coming from field measurements, are always needed. In fact they represent the first step to derive reliable reference values of coefficients and parameters for the implementation and calibration of the used mathematical hydrodynamic model

Questo volume intende celebrare il centenario – 24 aprile 1915 – del primo zampillo dell’acqua del Sele a Bari, dalla fontana del Palazzo Ateneo in piazza Umberto, e riscrivere la storia che portò alla realizzazione dell’opera titanica che permise, e permette tutt’oggi, di soddisfare l’antico bisogno d’acqua in Puglia.

Il mare ha da sempre avuto un ruolo fondamentale nella storia, anche come grande risorsa economica. Molte attività sono basate sul mare e sui suoi prodotti, che, pertanto, vanno salvaguardati. Questa memoria evidenzia alcune modalità corrette con cui è necessario intervenire nelle zone costiere o nell’ambiente marino, in considerazione della particolare delicatezza degli ecosistemi marini, ai fi ni della difesa delle coste dall’erosione e, in generale, della difesa dai rischi territoriali. In particolare viene trattato il tema dell’erosione costiera dal punto di vista dell’ingegneria idraulica, evidenziando lo stato generale delle coste europee e di quelle italiane. Si forniscono alcuni esempi di modelli fi sici, realizzati presso il Laboratorio di Ingegneria Costiera (LIC) del Politecnico di Bari, come utile strumento di indagine al fine di dare delle risposte circa il corretto funzionamento di alcune opere di difesa.

Near infrared (NIR) satellite images of the oil spill event occurred by the Fu Shan Hai wreck on 31 May 2003 in the waters between Sweden and Denmark were compared with numerical simulations provided by the MIKE 21 oil drift model. Assuming a skewed pdf of oil parcel thicknesses, a model of the NIR image oil-water contrast reflectance was developed to characterize the expected oil slick distribution in terms of average and maximum oil slick thickness. Since MIKE 21 SA also lets non uniform distribution of oil volume within the oil slick, both distributions were thus compared in coincidence to the MODIS Aqua acquisition, which imaged the oil slick three days after the oil spill started. Results showed excellent agreement in the numerical values of both the expected average and maximum thickness as well. In addition, repartition of the oil volume within the slick in the usual thin (sheen) and thick (brown) parts resulted consistent with the empirical rule of 20% and 80% of the total oil volume, respectively.

The ability to model marine currents can be a powerful device for many planning activities, for which the knowledge of the velocity field is of pivotal importance, such as the evaluation of current-induced loading on maritime structures or the diffusion and dispersion of polluted flow discharges. Observations of time-averaged velocity profiles, taken with a vessel mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler during a monitoring survey program in the seas of Southern Italy, are analysed in this paper. The measurements were taken under non-breaking conditions, offshore the surf zone, with the aim of reproducing the vertical trends of the streamwise velocity by means of standard theoretical laws. To evaluate also the possible influence of stratification on the current velocity profile shape, together with velocity measurements water temperature and salinity were also measured at the same time and locations, by means of a CTD recorder. The examined surveys referred to different time periods and sites, to guarantee a general validity of deductions. On the basis of the experiments, we verified the actual existence of a log-layer and concluded that the upper limit of the region in which the log law is applicable extends well beyond the inner region. Moreover, the deviations of the measured velocity from the logarithmic profiles above the height of the log layer is consistent with the effects of stratification. The parameters of the log law were estimated, depending on both flow dynamics and stratification in the target area. As a second step, in the most superficial and stratified layer, the velocity profiles were modelled by means of a power law, which fitted the measured data well. According to previous studies, the power law parameters result Reynolds number dependent by means of a new proposed formulation. Finally, the bottom stress and the bottom drag coefficient were investigated.

Il mare gioca un ruolo fondamentale nella vita di tutti i giorni in modo diretto o indiretto. Si pensi, per esempio, alla sua influenza sul clima e sulle temperature sia estive che invernali, al turismo, alla pesca e alle importanti risorse naturali in esso contenute. Il mare ha da sempre avuto un ruolo fondamentale nella Storia, anche come grande risorsa economica. Molte attività sono basate sul mare e sui suoi prodotti. Questo libro presenta diversi aspetti di cui il mare è protagonista. Un primo aspetto è quello storico, con particolare riguardo alla regione pugliese. Successivamente si presenta la costa pugliese, evidenziandone la varietà dal Gargano fino a Capo Santa Maria di Leuca e al tratto ionico. Non vengono tralasciati alcuni dettagli sulle modalità corrette con cui è necessario intervenire nelle zone costiere o nell’ambiente marino, in considerazione della particolare delicatezza degli ecosistemi marini, ai fini della difesa delle coste dall’erosione e, in generale, della difesa dai rischi territoriali. Un ultimo argomento trattato in questo volume è quello delle aree marine protette pugliesi, le quali sono state istituite al fine di coniugare in modo corretto gli aspetti socio-economici con quelli ambientali, tenendo conto del dualismo economia-ecologia.

On 31 May 2003 the Chinese bulk carrier Fu Shan Hai collided with the Cypriot freighter Gdynia in the western Baltic Sea. The event was monitored by several satellite images, such as those acquired by the European synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on board ERS-2 and MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) on board Envisat and by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board Aqua and Terra platforms. The synergistic use of oil drift models and remote sensing observations could play an important role to prepare an emergency plan in transporting oil. In the present study we used MIKE 21 SA model for simulating the trajectories of the oil spill. We drove the oil transport module with currents obtained from MIKE 21 Flow Model and surface winds from operational satellite scatterometer. A good agreement with satellite observations has been obtained.

This paper shows the results of the SPH modelling of the spilling-type breaking flow field produced by a NACA 0024 hydrofoil positioned in a uniform current, based on the laboratory experiments by Mossa (2008). Understanding wave breaking is fundamental for many coastal engineering problems. It is well known that turbulence and undertow currents in the breaking zone are key factors in the mixing and transport processes. Experimental investigations were carried out by measuring the velocity field with a backscatter, two-component four-beam optic-fiber LDA system. SPH simulations were obtained by a pseudo-compressible XSPH scheme with pressure smoothing; an algebraic mixing-length model and a two-equation model were used to represent turbulent stresses. The study made particular reference to the velocity and free surface profile with the aim of analyzing the hydraulic jump development downstream of the hydrofoil. The agreement between the numerical results and laboratory measurements in the wake region is satisfactory and allows the evaluation of the wave breaking efficiency of the device by a detailed analysis of the simulated flow field.

“Dilution is the Solution to Pollution”. This is a well-known English motto and this is why environmental flows characterized by dilution and mixing processes are of great interest for scientists. These notes show the present scenario of pollution and warning of our planet, a general analysis of miscible and non-miscible flows with a classification based on fundamental parameters. Successively, a theoretical analysis and experimental results of some case studies of jets in a wave environment and jets interacting with a vegetated crossflow current are presented. The potential help of field measurements and monitoring and the use of new technologies based on satellite images are also briefly described, with some case studies of our research team. The notes show that the deeper knowledge of these complex environmental flows should be pursued for research, technical and engineering interests. Because of the increasing stress placed on water resources throughout the world, a resurgence and reinvention of hydraulic engineering should be considered, in the belief that Hydraulic research will be more and more a cooperation with other experts and that researchers must respond to the need to manage and protect natural resources. Considering all these aspects, the old motto with which this summary starts, could be changed to: “Dilution is (not always) the Solution to Pollution”.

Taking into account that many coastal processes, such as undertow currents, sedi-ment transport and action on maritime structures, are greatly affected by wave behav-iour, the aim of this paper is to investigate the hydrodynamics of both regular and irreg-ular waves. Hence, it illustrates the results of an experimental research carried out in two different laboratory wave flumes of the Water Engineering and Chemistry Depart-ment of Bari Technical University (Italy). The first laboratory experiment examines the hydrodynamics of three different regular waves breaking on a fixed sloping bottom. The principal interest is therefore fo-cused on the wave behaviour in the surf zone. The second experiment refers to an irregular wave characterized by a narrow banded spectrum and developing on a sloping sand bottom, in intermediate waters up to the surf zone. In this case, the shoaling region is thoroughly investigated in order to understand how the wave is affected by breaking induced turbulence. In both experiments, the phase-averaging technique is used to extract the turbulent component from the time series of the acquired signal. This procedure is routinely used in laboratory studies when regular waves are studied. On the contrary, for irregular waves, it is not always assumed, being feasible only when some specific rules are re-spected, as occurred in the present study. The analysis focused on the vertical profiles of time-averaged orbital velocities, wave and turbulent cross-correlations, turbulent kinetic energy, turbulent intensities. At the same time also the phase-averaged velocity components and turbulent kinetic energy were considered. Finally some considerations were derived for the transport of both turbulent kinetic energy and sediments, at various depths of each investigated location.