Gary Parker

Professor

2527c Hydrosystems Laboratory

Phone: (217) 244-5159

Fax: (217) 333-0687

Email: parkerg@uiuc.edu

Personal website: http://cee.uiuc.edu/people/parkerg

Major research interests are river mechanics and morphology, sediment transport and two-phase solid fluid flow. Current efforts focus on downstream grainsize change in gravel rivers, migration of meander bends in sand bed rivers, formation of submarine alluvial fans due to sediment deposition from turbidity currents, evolution of channel cross-sectional shape, and nonlinear erodible bed mechanics. A major research goal is to use the fundamental techniques of fluid mechanics and applied mathematics to treat interesting geomorphological problems. Related special research includes mechanics of river meandering; oceanic turbidity currents; sorting of mixed grain sediment by fluvial processes; bank erosion and protection using permeable dikes and vegetation; and reservoir sedimentation. Development of a mechanistic understanding of the processes involved with sediment transport in rivers and the ocean environment, and the morphologies they create, is of prime importance. River meander migration research has led to the development of computer models that predict channel shift and can therefore be used in the design of floodplain structures such as bridges, intakes, etc. In addition, research on depositional submarine fans has been found useful to oil companies as a means of helping locate oil deposits.