Invited by the Department of Oceanography, College of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS), Ocean University of China (OUC), Professor Xiao Hua Wang from UNSW delivered a seminar as part of the “Wen Xin Xiang Hai” Academic Seminar Series on 7th September 2023. The lecture, entitled “Numerical Modelling of the Sydney Harbour Estuary, New South Wales: Lateral Circulation and Asymmetric Vertical Mixing” was conducted in a combination of offline and online formats. The seminar was hosted by Associate Professor Wen Wu from COAS, with over 50 faculty members and students in attendance.

  Professor Wang first provided an introduction to the research background of the Sydney Harbour estuarine circulation. Through field observations and numerical simulations, he elucidated the mechanisms controlling intra-tidal and spring-neap variations of turbulent mixing and stratification, as well as their impacts on the estuarine circulation. He then conducted a comprehensive analysis of how complex bathymetry drives estuarine lateral circulation and its interactions with estuarine longitudinal circulation from the perspectives of momentum and vorticity. Finally, he explained how these hydrodynamic processes affect sediment transport and suspended sediment maximum zone formation. Following the talk, the participants engaged in a lively discussion on topics such as estuarine hydrodynamics and coastal marsh evolution. They expressed their intention to collaborate closely in the future to promote scientific researches and management applications of estuarine and coastal areas.

Xiao Hua Wang is currently a tenured professor of School of Science, UNSW. He serves as an associate editor for esteemed journals such as Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science and Limnology and Oceanography: Methods. Additionally, he is the co-founder and Australian director of the Sino-Australian Research Center for Coastal Management, a collaborative initiative between OUC and UNSW. His research primarily focuses on nearshore ocean observations, satellite remote sensing, numerical simulations, sediment transport dynamics, and nearshore dynamics under the influence of human activities and climate change. He has published over 150 papers in reputable international journals within the field of oceanography.