The morphodynamics of estuaries and coasts are controlled by a complex process of erosion and deposition of bed sediments. In most estuaries and low-energy coasts, bed sediments usually contain some fine sand as well as a higher proportion of silt and clay grains ranging in diameter from 0.0005 mm to 0.065 mm. Knowledge of the fine-grained sediment deposition on the shoreface is particularly important due to the close association between these sediments and contaminant and nutrient fluxes, benthic and pelagic community structure and health. Therefore, the ability to predict the movement of cohesive sediment within coastal, estuarine or inland waters has a significant economical and ecological importance in the development of new engineering works and the maintenance of existing installations. However, previous investigations have focused primarily on either sand beds or mud/silt beds. Our knowledge on the motions and transport behaviour of sand-mud mixtures is grossly inadequate. As the result, multi-fraction transport modules in most engineering software packages have to rely on the parameterisations obtained from single-sized sediment transport studies. In these models the settling velocity of flocs is usually taken as a time-independent variable whereas in reality it is strongly time-dependent. To date, neither a tractable model of history effects on the fraction settling velocities of sand-mud mixtures nor direct measurements of settling processes of sand-mud mixtures in a controlled environment are available. The proposed research will address this problem in a systematic way. The research programme will include settling tank experiments to understand the settling, flocculation and consolidation processes and 1- and 2DV modelling to investigate issues related to wave effects, sediment segregation and long-term morphological evolution. These data (and the numerical models that will be developed) will underpin the establishment of more effective strategies for the prediction of lthe ong-term evolution of coastal changes.

Identifying and understanding extreme and fatigue loads on tidal energy converters (TEC), understanding environmental extremes (other than main resource), and determining accessibility, serviceability criteria, fault intervals and associated device life cycles, are all important factors that can determine CAPEX and OPEX cost of devices and array deployments. This project will provide a holistic vision for design optimisation to ensure, reliability and survivability for floating TECs (FTECs). Computational modeling and real sea deployment measurements will provide a tool to inform the optimum operational strategy and maximise survivability and reliability for FTEC devices and arrays. Swansea University will develop a versatile BEMT code to enable the study of FTECs numerically at a fundamental level and physically by working closely with project partners Oceanflow Energy, EMEC and Black and Veatch to determine the most important parameters to be measured for this type of technologies. Measurements taken at the Sanda Sound deployment site for the Oceanflow Energy 1:4 scale EVOPOD prototype, including loads on the device and sea condition datasets, will be used to validate the BEMT model for FTECs. A generic BEMT FTEC model will then be tested using environmental data, including extremes, provided by EMEC. In collaboration with Black and Veatch the resulting load predictions will be used to estimate component fatigue and failure. This will lead to the development of an operational strategy and design guidance to maximise survivability and reliability of FTECs.

Coastal communities in the north and east of Sri Lanka (SL) face significantly greater risk of coastal flooding from storm surges associated with seasonal cyclones than those in the rest of the country. These storm surges are essentially local elevations in sea level caused by the weather system which subsequently inundate the land. Storm surges are caused by a combination of: (1) low atmospheric pressure 'lifting' the sea surface (barometric tide) (2) frictional drag of the wind blowing over the sea causing a slope in the water surface (wind stress) and (3) breaking waves transferring their momentum into the water column (wave setup). Hazard maps, to indicate predicted storm surge inundations around the Sri Lankan coastline, were produced by Prof Wijetunge in association with the Disaster Management Centre. The computer models on which these hazard maps were based, were limited to describing only the barometric tide and the wind stress. Subsequent advancements in understanding mean that wave setup can now be included. It is critical to do so, because the wave setup effect may contribute 40% of the surge in some locations i.e. some communities may face a more grave risk than hitherto realised. The situation is potentially much worse than this however, as scientists are beginning to understand the interaction of storm surges with severe rainfall events which almost always accompany the cyclones in the Indian Ocean region. The mechanism for this so-called compound flooding is that rivers swollen from heavy rainfall are prevented from effectively discharging to the sea due to storm surges coming inland. To protect against flooding events in the west we are familiar with flood defence structures; Sri Lanka has no such hard-engineered structures. However, they do have natural protective features such as mangrove forests and salt marshes. The potential benefits of mangroves in particular have received some attention since the devastating Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, though the intentional implementation in formal coastal schemes is still in its infancy. Prof Taylor recently received funding from the Global Challenge Research Fund to investigate how design codes might incorporate their effects. Against this backdrop, the C-FLOOD project will produce a new generation of compound flood hazard maps, based upon state-of-the-art computer modelling that will consider all the storm surge components and the rainfall effect. It will also consider a variety of climate change scenarios which will influence flooding due to predicted rising sea levels. This will be done by Prof Wijetunge at the University of Peradeniya in SL, and Dr Jayaratne at the University of East London, with their related expertise. Furthermore, the protective effects of the natural vegetation will be included in the modelling and maps, by conducting experiments at the University of Plymouth's COAST Laboratory. This will be undertaken by Dr Raby (Plymouth) and Prof. Taylor (University of Western Australia). The C-FLOOD project will focus on three communities that are deemed most vulnerable due to their geography and levels of poverty (associated with the past military conflict). The project team will work with community members in addition to local and regional leaders/administrators to maximise the benefits and uptake of the new hazard maps. Individual localised hazards will also be captured in comprehensive multi-hazard maps for the communities. Dr Kitagawa from the University of East London and Mr Ranawaka of the Coast Conservation & Coastal Resource Management Department have past experience of such activities and will be overseeing these critical aspects. The final outcome will be improved predictions of flooding inundation, with engagement of the selected communities, leading to improved resilience to compound flooding. The hazard map production techniques and flood impact mitigation methods could then be implemented across other vulnerable communities.

The water sector in the UK has, by many measures, been very successful. In England and Wales, drinking water standards stands at over 99.9%, water pipe leakage is down by a third, sewer flooding reduced by more three quarters in the last 10 years and bathing water standards are at record high levels. This success has been achieved using a 19th century design approach based on the idea of plentiful resources, unrestrained demand and a stable climate. However, a perfect storm of climate change, increasing population, urbanisation, demographic shifts and tighter regulation is brewing! Each one of these challenges is a threat to the water sector and, taken in isolation, existing approaches may be able to cope. Taken together and compounded by the speed, size and uncertainty of change, the system is heading for failure unless something radical is done. The current way of working looks increasingly out of date and out of step with emerging thinking and best practice in some leading nations. This fellowship aims to meet these emerging challenges and global uncertainties head on by developing a new approach to water management in UK cities. The starting point is a new vision that is: Safe & SuRe. In a sense, our existing water systems are all about safety goals: public health, flood management and environmental protection. These are important and still need to be respected, but they are NOT sufficient to rise to the coming challenges. In the new world of rapid and uncertain change, water systems in cities must also be Sustainable and Resilient. Only a 'Safe & SuRe' system can be moulded, adapted and changed to face the emerging threats and resulting impacts. In this fellowship. my vision will be developed, tested and championed into practice over a period of 5 years. It will draw from multi-disciplinary collaboration with leading academics inside and outside the field. A comprehensive, quantitative evaluation framework will be developed to test in detail what options or strategies can contribute towards a Safe & SuRe water future, focussing on the challenges of water scarcity, urban flooding and river pollution. Recommendations and best practice guidance will be developed in conjunction with key stakeholders.

National infrastructure (NI) systems (energy, transport, water, waste and ICT) in the UK and in advanced economies globally face serious challenges. The 2009 Council for Science and Technology (CST) report on NI in the UK identified significant vulnerabilities, capacity limitations and a number of NI components nearing the end of their useful life. It also highlighted serious fragmentation in the arrangements for infrastructure provision in the UK. There is an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions from infrastructure, to respond to future demographic, social and lifestyle changes and to build resilience to intensifying impacts of climate change. If this process of transforming NI is to take place efficiently, whilst also minimising the associated risks, it will need to be underpinned by a long-term, cross-sectoral approach to understanding NI performance under a range of possible futures. The 'systems of systems' analysis that must form the basis for such a strategic approach does not yet exist - this inter-disciplinary research programme will provide it.The aim of the UK Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium is to develop and demonstrate a new generation of system simulation models and tools to inform analysis, planning and design of NI. The research will deal with energy, transport, water, waste and ICT systems at a national scale, developing new methods for analysing their performance, risks and interdependencies. It will provide a virtual environment in which we will test strategies for long term investment in NI and understand how alternative strategies perform with respect to policy constraints such as reliability and security of supply, cost, carbon emissions, and adaptability to demographic and climate change.The research programme is structured around four major challenges:1. How can infrastructure capacity and demand be balanced in an uncertain future? We will develop methods for modelling capacity, demand and interdependence in NI systems in a compatible way under a wide range of technological, socio-economic and climate futures. We will thereby provide the tools needed to identify robust strategies for sustainably balancing capacity and demand.2. What are the risks of infrastructure failure and how can we adapt NI to make it more resilient?We will analyse the risks of interdependent infrastructure failure by establishing network models of NI and analysing the consequences of failure for people and the economy. Information on key vulnerabilities and risks will be used to identify ways of adapting infrastructure systems to reduce risks in future.3. How do infrastructure systems evolve and interact with society and the economy? Starting with idealised simulations and working up to the national scale, we will develop new models of how infrastructure, society and the economy evolve in the long term. We will use the simulation models to demonstrate alternative long term futures for infrastructure provision and how they might be reached.4. What should the UK's strategy be for integrated provision of NI in the long term? Working with a remarkable group of project partners in government and industry, we will use our new methods to develop and test alternative strategies for Britain's NI, building an evidence-based case for a transition to sustainability. We will analyse the governance arrangements necessary to ensure that this transition is realisable in practice.A Programme Grant provides the opportunity to work flexibly with key partners in government and industry to address research challenges of national importance in a sustained way over five years. Our ambition is that through development of a new generation of tools, in concert with our government and industry partners, we will enable a revolution in the strategic analysis of NI provision in the UK, whilst at the same time becoming an international landmark programme recognised for novelty, research excellence and impact.