Meet the IAHR Technical Committee on Coastal and Maritime Hydraulics   Keep updated

Who we are?

We deal with all aspects of offshore, coastal, and estuarine hydraulics pertaining to natural processes, fluid interaction with structures, environmental impact, and shoreline erosion management. Its activity focuses on topics such as waves and currents, the effect of boundaries, sedimentation and coastal morphology, sea level change, and relevant environmental issues.

What we do? 2023 Report

CMH Committee Meeting on the sidelines of the 40th IAHR Congress

August 21–25, 2023. Vienna, Austria.

The chair and several committee members attended the 40th IAHR World Congress, which was held in Vienna from August 21–25, 2023. During the congress, the CMH technical committee meeting was organized on the sidelines on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 22, from 16:00 - 18:00. The committee reviewed their achievements in the previous years and had several fruitful discussions. Areas of discussion included but were not limited to supporting several international conferences with topics related to coasts, estuaries, and oceans. The success of the 3rd CORE Symposium held in China from October 12-16, 2021. The success of the International Conference on Estuaries and Coasts (ICEC) in Shanghai, China from October 18-21, 2021. The acceptance of the CMH to offer co-sponsorship to the 13th International Conference on Coasts, Ports & Marine Structures (ICOPMAS) that was held in Tehran, Iran, from October 31 - November 20, 2022. Important updates and progress regarding the upcoming Coastlab 2024 conference were reported by Drs. Davide Wuthrich & Bas Hofland in TU Delft. This was discussed in detail during the meeting.

13th IAHR Symposium on River, Coastal & Estuarine Morphodynamics

September 25-28, 2023. Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.

The 13th Symposium on River, Coastal, and Estuarine Morphodynamics, RCEM2023, took place at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign on September 25-28, 2023. Topics of the symposium included River morphodynamics, Coastal morphodynamics, Ecohydraulics and eco-morphodynamics, Estuaries, Marshes and intertidal flats, Anthropogenic effects on morphodynamics, Instrumentation and remote sensing, Numerical and physical modeling, and Special sessions.

4th IAHR Young Professionals Congress

November 22-24, 2023. Online.

The CMH technical committee supported the 4th IAHR Young Professionals Congress held online from November 22-24, 2023. This congress gave young professionals, researchers, and students the opportunity to present their research work and access mentoring from leading global experts. Abstracts submitted to the CMH technical committee were reviewed. Dr. Ali Pourzangbar and Dr. Andrea Sulis served as session chairs, introduced the speakers, and led the discussion during the coffee break. 

Upcoming Activities

CoastLab 2024: Physical Modelling in Coastal Engineering and Science

May 13-16, 2024. Delft, Netherlands.

CoastLab is a conference that concentrates on Physical Modelling in Coastal Engineering and Science. CoastLab24, the latest in a series of successful conferences held in different locations around the world, will be hosted by Bas Hofland, Delft University of Technology, organized under the auspices of the International Association of Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR). The CMH technical committee is happy to announce that Coastlab24 will be held on May 13-16, 2024. It is exciting that the leading conference, which focuses on physical modelling in coastal engineering, will visit Delft. Researchers and practitioners in the field of coastal engineering are invited to submit abstracts with original and novel findings related to the modelling and measurement of coastal issues.

International Conference on Estuaries and Coasts (ICEC) 2024

August 27-29, 2024. Quebec City, Canada.

CMH committee supports the 8th International Conference on Estuaries and Coasts that will be held in Quebec City from August 27-29, 2024. The Chair of CMH, Professor He Zhiguo, serves as a member of the Scientific Committee. With support from related international associations and with the participation of experts and scholars worldwide, the ICEC is attracting wide attention and has become an important and popular event. Topics of the Conference include Saline intrusion and sea level rise: measurements, modelling and forecasting; Waves, storm surges and tsunami: measurements, modelling, forecasting and warning systems; Estuarine and coastal flows and their evolution by climate change; Sediment transport and morphological change in estuaries and coastal zones; Megacity developments under the threat of sea level rise and climate change; Environment and ecosystem changes in estuaries and coastal zones; Integrated coastal zone management for sustainable developments in the context of global change; Impacts of watershed developments on estuaries and coastal zones; Shoreline protection and beach nourishment; Interactions between estuarine and coastal systems; and Resilient engineering solutions in estuaries and coastal zones.

CMH released a call for proposals for the hosting of CoastLab26

The CMH has released an announcement inviting interested parties to submit proposals for hosting the Coastlab26 in 2026. The call was released on June 21, 2023. CoastLab26 will provide a stimulating and enriching forum to discuss the latest developments in physical modelling applied to coastal and port engineering and coastal science. Papers that describe new research, technical innovation, and interesting real-world case studies and projects are encouraged. The conference topics may include, but are not limited to: Estuarine and coastal hydrodynamics, nearshore processes; Sediment transport, erosion, sedimentation; Storm surge, coastal flooding, shore protection; Coastal and ocean structures, breakwaters, revetments; Wave-structure interactions, loading, response; Wave runup and overtopping; Wave and tidal energy; Physical modelling case studies; Laboratory technologies, measurement systems; Wave synthesis, generation, and analysis; Scale effects and uncertainty analysis; Combined physical and numerical modelling; Extreme events – assessment and mitigation; Contaminant and pollutant transport, water quality; Climate change impacts, adaptation, mitigation; Coastal field measurement and monitoring; Ports, marine terminals, navigation, ship motions; Coastal management and natural-based solutions. Those interested in organizing CoastLab26 were requested to send a proposal to the chair of the Coastal and Maritime Hydraulics Committee on or before November 1, 2023. 

The CMH technical committee has received a total of 4 proposals for Coastlab26, all submitted before the deadline. These include:

• IIT Madras in Chennai, India | Submitted by Dr. V Sriram: Professor, Department of Ocean Engineering, Center for Large Scale Ocean Research (CFLOR) IIT Madras, Chennai - 600 036, India. Email: vsriram@doe.iitm.ac.in. Website.

• Thuyloi University, Vietnam | Submitted by Prof. Nguyen Trung Viet, Ph.D: Vice President of Thuyloi University (TLU), Distinguished Member of IAHR-APD & APAC Executive Committee, Chair of Tohoku University Alumni Association in Vietnam (TUAAV) 175 Tay Son, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam Email: nguyentrungviet@tlu.edu.vn

• Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Portugal | Submitted by Prof. Francisco Taveira Pinto: Director of the Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal Email: fpinto@fe.up.pt

• Lanka Hydraulic Institute Ltd., Sri Lanka | Submitted by Dr. D.P.C. Laknath Dr.Eng.,C.Eng., M.Eng., B.Sc Eng.(Hons), MBA, IntPE Senior Specialist - Coastal/Water Resources Engineering Lanka Hydraulic Institute Ltd. 177, John Rodrigo Mawatha Katubedda, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka Email: chanaka.laknath@lhi.lk. Website.

Preparation of a Monograph: Particulate Currents

The CMH technical committee is currently preparing a monograph on Particulate Current. Members will be encouraged to write chapters related to Coastal engineering and sciences. The progress of the Monograph is the major objective of the CMH technical committee for the next two years.