About

Biography

• BMath (1983-1987), Applied and Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
• MSc Physics (1987-1988), Dept Physics, University of Toronto
• PhD Physics (1988-1994), Dept Physics, University of Toronto
• Research Associate (1995-1997), Dept Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics, U. Cambridge
• Asst/Assoc/Full Professor (1997-2007), Dept Mathematical & Statistical Sciences, U. Alberta
• Professor (2007-), Dept of Physics and of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, U. Alberta

Other Positions

• Director (2012-2018), Institute for Geophysical Research, U. Alberta
• Associate Editor (2014-2016), Physics of Fluids
• Editorial Committee Member (2015-2020), Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics
• Associate Editor (2016-), Physical Review Fluids

Awards

• McCalla Research Professorship (2006-2007)
• Killam Annual Professor (2010-2011)
• Gledden Visiting Senior Fellowship (2012)
• Churchill Overseas Fellowship (2012)
• Fellow of the American Physical Society (elected 2016)

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Research

Interests

• atmospheric, oceanic and environmental fluid dynamics
• stratified flows, internal waves, plumes and gravity currents
• particle-bearing and particle-laden flows

Skills

• laboratory experiments, numerical simulations and mathematical theory

Climatological, Environmental and Industrial Applications

• plastic transport in rivers and the ocean
• resuspension and transport of particulates by shoaling internal waves with impact upon off-shore oil and marine biology
• clear-air turbulence by breaking atmospheric waves
• spread of ash from volcanic explosions

Lab - Environmental and Industrial Fluids Laboratory

3-257 CCIS

This interdisciplinary experimental laboratory brings together researchers in Atmosphere-Ocean Dynamics, Physics, Engineering and Mathematics. Wide-ranging problems are studied from the Earth's circulation, to waves in the atmosphere and ocean, plumes, gravity currents, particle transport, percolation flows, viscous flows, etc.

Collaborator: Morris Flynn

EN PH 131 - Mechanics

Kinematics and dynamics of particles; gravitation; work and energy; linear momentum; angular momentum; systems of particles; introduction to dynamics of rigid bodies. Prerequisites: MATH 100 or 117, and ENGG 130. Corequisite: MATH 101 or 118. Restricted to Engineering students. Other students who take this course will receive *3.0.

Winter Term 2022

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PHYS 467 - Fundamentals of Continuum Mechanics

Cartesian tensors; stress; strain and deformation; Eulerian and Lagrangian descriptions of motions; conservation principles, Cauchy's equation of motion; constitutive relations, elasticity, plasticity, linear and nonlinear viscous fluid flow; elastic wave equation and Navier-Stokes equation; similarity, scaling and nondimensionalisation of governing equations. Applications from geophysics, materials science, oceanography, and atmospheric physics. Pre- or corequisites: MATH 337 or ECE 341, PHYS 381.

Fall Term 2021

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Browse more courses taught by Bruce Sutherland

Research - Internal Gravity Waves, Stratified Flows

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Research - Microplastic Transport, Dispersion, Sedimentation and Resuspension

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Research - Plumes, Gravity Currents and Sediment Transport

The Evolution of Superharmonics Excited by Internal Tides in Non-uniform Stratification

Author(s): L.E. Baker and B.R. Sutherland
Publication Date: 5/20/2020
Publication: J. Fluid Mech.
Volume: 891
Page Numbers: R1:1-13
External Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2020.188

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Triad Resonant Instability of Horizontally Periodic Internal Modes

Author(s): B.R. Sutherland and Riley Jefferson
Publication Date: 3/19/2020
Publication: Phys. Rev. Fluids
Volume: 5
Page Numbers: 034801:1-20
External Link: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.5.034801

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Particle Transport and Resuspension by Shoaling Internal Solitary Waves

Author(s): D. Deepwell, R. Sapede, L. Buchart, G.E. Swaters and B.R. Sutherland,
Publication Date: 2/9/2020
Publication: Phys. Rev. Fluids
Volume: 5
Page Numbers: 054303:1-21
External Link: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.5.064805

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Damping of Surface Waves by Floating Particles

Author(s): B. R. Sutherland and N. J. Balmforth
Publication: Physical Review Fluids
Volume: 4
External Link: https://journals.aps.org/prfluids/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.4.014804

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Particle-Bearing Currents in Uniform Density and Two-Layer Fluids

Author(s): B. R. Sutherland, M. K. Gingras, C. Knudson, L. Steverango and C. Surma
Publication: Physical Review Fluids
Volume: 3
Page Numbers: 023801:1-15
External Link: https://journals.aps.org/prfluids/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.3.023801

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Lagrangian Transport by Vertically Confined Internal Gravity Wavepackets

Author(s): T. S. van den Bremer, H. Yassin and B. R. Sutherland
Publication: Journal of Fluid Mechanics
External Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-fluid-mechanics/article/lagrangian-transport-by-vertically-confined-internal-gravity-wavepackets/7E98700FC994E9206F90FDE5C8157464