Daniel MacDonald, PhD
Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Professor
SMAST / Estuarine & Ocean Sciences
Contact
508-910-6334
dmacdonald@umassd.edu
Violette Research 107B
Contact
508-910-6334
dmacdonald@umassd.edu
School for Marine Science & Technology East, New Bedford 233
Education
| 2003 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Joint Program | Ph.D. in Oceanographic Engineering |
| 1996 | Cornell University | M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering |
| 1992 | Univeristy of New Hampshire | B.S.C.E. |
Teaching
- Environmental Fluid Mechanics
- Pollutant Transport in the Environment
- Turbulence
- Wave Mechanics
- Stratified Flows and Estuarine Dynamics
Teaching
Programs
Programs
- Civil & Environmental Engineering MS
- Civil Engineering BS, BS/MS
- Engineering and Applied Science PhD
- Environmental Resources Engineering Concentration
- Intercampus Marine Science Programs MS, PhD
- Marine Science and Technology MS
- Marine Science and Technology PhD
- Marine Science and Technology PSM
- University of São Paulo Dual PhD PhD
Teaching
Courses
Introduction to fluid mechanics concepts in the natural environment, focused on mass, momentum and energy conservation principles and their application to a variety of environmental scenarios. Topics include conservation laws, scaling, shallow water flow, stratified flow, and flow through porous media. The course should be of interest to any engineering student with an interest in environmental applications and is a List B Elective for students in the Environmental Resources Engineering Concentration.
Final design experience requiring practitioner involvement, student reports, and oral presentations. An interdisciplinary, team approach is emphasized. Course offers two credits in the fall and two credits in the spring. All four credits must be earned within the same academic year.
Final design experience requiring practitioner involvement, student reports, and oral presentations. An interdisciplinary, team approach is emphasized. Course offers two credits in the fall and two credits in the spring. All four credits must be earned within the same academic year.
Introduction to fluid mechanics concepts in the natural environment, focused on mass, momentum and energy conservation principles and their application to a variety of environmental scenarios. Topics include conservation laws, scaling, shallow water flow, stratified flow, and flow through porous media. The course should be of interest to any engineering student with an interest in environmental applications and is a List B Elective for students in the Environmental Resources Engineering Concentration.
An advanced treatment of a special topic in specific areas of marine sciences and technology with an emphasis on recent developments. The subject matter varies according to the interests of the instructor and the students.
Research
Research Activities
- Office of Naval Research. The Role of Scale in the Development and Evolution of Stratified Shear Turbulence, Entrainment and Mixing. D. MacDonald and M. Raessi. $155,121. 2015-2019.
- Massachusetts Seaport Economic Council, Reducing the cost of wave energy with an innovative tethered ballast system. D. MacDonald. $239,898. 2016-2018.
- Department of Energy (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy), as subcontractor to Littoral Power Systems, Inc. A cost-disruptive, low impact, modular form factor low-head hydropower system. D. MacDonald. $196,192 ($1,421,666 total). 2016-2018.
- Other ongoing research includes use of the UMassD turbulence microstructure equipped autonomous underwater vehicle (T-REMUS) to quantify coastal turbulence in a variety of settings.
Research
Research Awards
- $41,719 Stormwater Designs and Innovative Stormwater Monitoring Approaches
Research
Research Interests
- Environmental Fluid Mechanics
- Turbulence and Mixing
- River Plume Dynamics
- Marine Renewable Energy
- Environmental Data Collection with Autonomous Vehicles
Select publications
Horner-Devine, A.R., R. D. Hetland, and D. G. MacDonald (2015).
Mixing and Transport in Coastal River Plumes
Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, 47, 569-594.
MacDonald, D.G., J.O. Carlson, and L. Goodman (2013).
On the heterogeneity of shear-stratified turbulence: Observations from a near-field river plume
Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans, 118, 6223-6237.
D.G. MacDonald and F. Chen (2012).
Enhancement of turbulence through lateral spreading in a stratified-shear flow: Development and assessment of a conceptual model.
Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans, 117, C05025.
At UMass Dartmouth, Dr. MacDonald leads the Coastal Engineering and Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, which focuses research in a variety of areas related to coastal physics and engineering. Basic and applied research encompasses the areas of stratified hydrodynamics, turbulence and frontal dynamics—with specific emphasis on estuarine flows, river plumes, and industrial discharges. A significant research focus also lies in the area of renewable energy, including wave energy and the hydrodynamic aspects of other marine renewable technologies, and conventional hydropower. He is also actively involved in the utilization of robotic platforms for environmental data acquisition in coastal and inland aquatic environments.
Dr. MacDonald is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Geophysical Union.