Finite Element Modeling of Environmental Problems

Because of its ability to treat both regions with irregular boundaries and with different material types, the finite element method is increasingly being applied to surface water and soil transport problems and this is the focus of the present volume. The method is ideally suited to simulation of complex real applications for resolving environmental issues and for conducting environmental impact studies. The present volume focuses on the two main areas of environmental modeling with finite elements and the supporting finite element methodology. Five chapters are devoted to ocean and coastal engineering, one to other surface water problems, several to ground water modeling and contaminant transport, including radioactive waste, and the remainder to mathematical models, particularly for mixed finite elements and nonlinear problems. Environmental problems are of increasing topicality and importance today. Special care has been taken in organizing and editing the material to form the right combination of modeling, methodology, and applications studies to form a cohesive treatment appropriate for a graduate course or seminar on the subject. It is aimed in particular at engineers working in computational environmental fluid mechanics and transport processes.