ABSTRACT
Hydraulics and sediment transport in most natural and built systems are spatially and temporally complex, requiring some form of study to improve understanding of these systems and provide economical and reliable designs. Site-specific studies are critical for determining the various regimes that must be accounted for to optimize the safety, costs, and operation and minimize the environmental impact of the system. Prior to the advent of computers, all studies were either field-or lab-based. While field studies provide the most realistic data, the inability to actually control and measure some or all of the forcings and boundary/ initial conditions make it difficult to interpret the data, and past and current conditions may not be useful in predicting planned modifications or how structures may interact with the natural system. In addition, field-based studies can be expensive; particularly if the system domain is large and/or if one would like to measure the important processes and phenomena over long time scales, which is essential for an optimized and safe design.
