FAME: Future of Advanced Metrology for Environmental fluid dynamics

Natural flows shape our environment. Virtually every part of the planet can be put in the context, or at the interface, of transdisciplinary processes shaped by fluid dynamics, from: mantle convection, driving tectonic plate movement and geohazards; energy sources driving ocean currents and mixing, controlling marine life; the dispersal of water, nutrients and pollutants through terrestrial systems, critical to life on land; to the risks from extreme weather, in a changing climate. Although, numerical models exist that capture many aspects of these flows, they are fundamentally limited by the complexity, and critically, the range of scales present in the natural environment. Thus, lack of understanding of the natural world often stems from lack of empirical data of environmental flows.

Empirical data are key to motivate new understanding of fluid dynamics and thus the natural environment. Data are often derived from controlled experiments, studying fundamental processes. Yet, to deliver impact, these processes need to be placed in real-world context. Three-dimensional, and temporal, data are key to understand complex flows inherent to nature. Yet whilst common in numerical models, such data are rare in current empirical research. Our capability to quantify the dynamics of environmental flows is in many respects more limited than numerical models.

Only now has recent advances in technology placed the ability to address long-standing limitations of empirical data of environmental flows within our grasp. The Future of Advanced Metrology for Environmental fluid dynamics (FAME) project makes a world-leading contribution to research capability, by: 1) advancing globally unique capacity to collect complete empirical datasets of environmental flows; 2) scaling experimental fluid dynamics to the real-world. Synergistic integration of a suite of novel equipment, based on novel volumetric flow measurement, addresses these goals and supports step-change advances across natural environmental science.

Leading experts at Hull, extensively supported by academia and industry, will integrate the suite of new equipment, including: Advanced optical flow measurement equipment that can disentangle the dynamics of the different fluid, particulate and chemical components that comprise natural flows; Submersible optical measurement equipment that translates capability to resolve flows, previously only available in laboratory conditions, to real-world scales; and Acoustic imaging of naturally cloudy environmental flows, where optical techniques cannot be used. Through integration of this suite of equipment, FAME affords globally unique capability to resolve flows across a range of environments and scales, providing new data needed for research into key societal challenges. By enabling access to both equipment, and critically the unique datasets that will be generated, FAME will motivate the next generation of community research into the natural environment.