Over the past decade, our ability to predict the environmental impact of major coastal pollution discharges has improved substantially. However, it is also realized that there are still inadequacies in predicting the near shore water quality. In particular, the complicated interaction of wave and tide-induced currents and the buoyant surface discharges from natural streams on mixing and transport cannot be well described in existing 3D tidal hydrodynamics models. Other coastal marine environmental research challenges include: the Lagrangian transport of larvae dispersal and recruitment by the coastal circulation; the fate and transport of endocrine disrupting compounds; and the development of stochastic ecological risk assessment models for the management of marine reserves.
The objective of the meeting is to update established engineers and scientists (from Hong Kong and the region) in academia, government, and industry of recent developments in the prediction and management of nearshore coastal water quality, with emphasis on fundamental research relating to the above aspects.
Key Themes:
- Nearshore hydrodynamics; mixing and transport
- Water quality modelling/hydro-biological interactions
- Beach water quality forecasting and management
- Environmental impacts of seawater desalination
