Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
MIT RES.12-003 Fluid Motions, Sediment Transport, and Current-Generated Sedimentary Structures, Fall 2025
Instructor: John Southard
View the complete course: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/res-12-003-fluid-motions-sediment-transport-and-current-generated-sedimentary-structures-fall-2025/
YouTube Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUl4u3cNGP60q1Ib4pyz_FBs_lYUPr9MN
In this lecture, Prof. John Southard continues his exploration of sediment transport by focusing on how sediments move, how transport is measured, and how different flow conditions create distinct bedforms. He explains key concepts such as bedload and suspended load, transport rates, and the challenges of measuring sediment movement in natural systems. The lecture also introduces aeolian (wind-driven) transport, highlighting saltation and the role of density differences between air and water. A major portion is devoted to the formation and evolution of bed configurations—especially ripples and dunes—using both laboratory flume experiments and natural examples to illustrate how flow velocity, sediment size, and turbulence interact to shape the landscape. Southard emphasizes the dynamic feedback between flow and sediment, showing how bedforms both result from and influence fluid motion.
License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
More information at https://ocw.mit.edu/terms
More courses at https://ocw.mit.edu
Support OCW at ow.ly/a1If50zVRlQ
We encourage constructive comments and discussion on OCW’s YouTube and other social media channels. Personal attacks, hate speech, trolling, and inappropriate comments are not allowed and may be removed. More details at https://ocw.mit.edu/comments.
MIT RES.12-003 Fluid Motions, Sediment Transport, and Current-Generated Sedimentary Structures, Fall 2025
Instructor: John Southard
View the complete course: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/res-12-003-fluid-motions-sediment-transport-and-current-generated-sedimentary-structures-fall-2025/
YouTube Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUl4u3cNGP60q1Ib4pyz_FBs_lYUPr9MN
In this lecture, Prof. John Southard continues his exploration of sediment transport by focusing on how sediments move, how transport is measured, and how different flow conditions create distinct bedforms. He explains key concepts such as bedload and suspended load, transport rates, and the challenges of measuring sediment movement in natural systems. The lecture also introduces aeolian (wind-driven) transport, highlighting saltation and the role of density differences between air and water. A major portion is devoted to the formation and evolution of bed configurations—especially ripples and dunes—using both laboratory flume experiments and natural examples to illustrate how flow velocity, sediment size, and turbulence interact to shape the landscape. Southard emphasizes the dynamic feedback between flow and sediment, showing how bedforms both result from and influence fluid motion.
License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
More information at https://ocw.mit.edu/terms
More courses at https://ocw.mit.edu
Support OCW at ow.ly/a1If50zVRlQ
We encourage constructive comments and discussion on OCW’s YouTube and other social media channels. Personal attacks, hate speech, trolling, and inappropriate comments are not allowed and may be removed. More details at https://ocw.mit.edu/comments.
