PhD
Active Nautical Depth (AND) is a promising method to fight against siltation in ports and harbours by mixing the sediment insitu, turning it into a navigable fluid mud.This is done by pumping the sediment using a low-power underwater pump to a hopper dredger, where it is exposed to the air before being pumped back to the sea and forms a fluid mud cloud for weeks before it has to be repeated. The implementation of AND allows a reduction of dredging need and thus has the potential, among other benefits, to decrease carbon emission associated with sedimenttransportation. Moreover, by changing the physicochemical properties of sediment, AND could also stimulate the biodegradation of harmful contaminants found in ports, such as the previously widely used antifouling compound called tributyltin (TBT).
SEMASO is sponsoring the PhD of Amelie Polrot at the Liverpool John Moores University.
