Predicting the way of water

In the port city of Tianjin, researchers are applying a similar logic to water transport by making risks visible before they potentially turn into accidents.

At the Ministry of Transport's Tianjin Research Institute for Water Transport Engineering, a huge wave flume stretches 450 meters long and 5 meters wide. With a water depth of 8 to 12 meters, the flume can produce waves as high as 3.5 meters, simulating some of the most extreme sea conditions.

The flume is used to study coastal engineering disaster prevention, sediment transport, wave-structure interaction and the dynamic response of large floating structures.

Chen Hanbao, chief scientist at the institute, said the flume is useful because coastal engineering projects can develop unexpected problems that can be avoided with wave impact testing.

"Large-scale tests allow researchers to better understand how ports, breakwaters and offshore structures behave under real wave conditions," Chen said.

The same facility also supports the development of intelligent dredging robots.

In the past, dredging often meant removing sediment after it had already accumulated. With a better understanding of tides, currents and sediment transport, precise preventive measures can be enacted.