The goal of this research is to obtain a greater understanding of how the flocculation of fine-grained sediment responds to turbulent stresses and how this packaging of sediment affects optical and acoustical properties in the water column. Our objectives are to:

Quantify the effects of aggregation dynamics on the size distribution of particles in the bottom boundary layer;

Quantify how changes in particle packaging affect the optical and acoustical properties of the water column; and

Develop models describing the associations between particle aggregation, stress, and the acoustical and optical fields.