Jialin Zhao
Jialin is currently a Graduate Teaching Assistant studying for his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Auckland.
Jialin completed his Bachelor's and Master's at Harbin Engineering University and Hohai University in China, focusing on the study of Coastal Engineering. He is now studying Hydrodynamics, researching turbulent flow structures around cubic artificial reefs at the University of Auckland.
“In recent years, the global ocean environment has suffered severe
deterioration from human activities and climate change."
"Artificial Reefs (ARs) have emerged as a widely used strategy to mitigate habitat degradation.”
“An Artificial Reef (AR) is an artificial structure used to replicate natural reef structures and can be installed either on the seabed or as a floating structure."
"The function of an artificial reef in attracting diverse ocean creatures stems from its ability to create complex flows."
"These mainly include a wake flow (the turbulent pattern of air or water that forms behind an object as it moves, like the ripples behind a boat) and an upwelling flow (when deeper, colder water rises to the surface, bringing nutrients with it, which helps support marine life.”
“The multi-scale turbulent structure of the flow field surrounding an
artificial reef can also exert significant influences on fish abundance.”
This study focuses on clarifying the multi-scale turbulent flow structures around surrounding cubic artificial reefs to advance understanding of the effects of structural complexity on artificial reef design.
“To achieve this goal, physical experiments were conducted in a recirculating water flume in the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory of the University of Auckland, New Zealand.”
“The experiments cover several different AR models with multiscale holes. A two-dimensional particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) system was applied to visualise the flow field around the models."
"The PTV system includes a camera and a vertical and horizontal LED light sheet, which serve as the light source. Thermoplastic coating powder particles were used as tracer particles.”
“These experiments aimed to provide insights into the turbulent flow characteristics surrounding the structures.”
“It is crucial to emphasise that the primary objective of this study is not to propose a new type of artificial reef but rather to generate knowledge that can inform the design of other artificial reefs—those not specifically tested here—regarding turbulent flow structures.”