Welcome to the ERTH 353, Environmental Fluid Mechanics, public webpage for the Spring 2026 semester.
I will try to update this page every few days during the semester.

Waterfall at the Bellevue Downtown Park on 26 July 2025. Photo by Shane Mayor.

Spring 2026 Lectures: MWF, 1:00 - 1:50 PM.

Required book: None

Weds., 21 Jan., First day of the semester. Functions, independent and dependent variables.
Fri., 23 Jan., Ordinary (1 independent variable) versus partial derivatives (>1 independent variables)
Mon., 26 Jan., Partial derivatives, vectors, gradient, unit vectors, nabla
Weds., 28 Jan., Review for Friday's quiz: x, y, z, i, j, k, u, v, w, T, P, etc.
Fri., 30 Feb., Quiz #1. Then more on vectors and components. Then, continuum hypothesis and Knudsen number
Mon., 2 Feb., Flux-gradient relationships: Fourier's law of heat conduction, Fick's law of diffusion, and Newton's Law of viscosity
Weds., 4 Feb., Review for quiz. Then Couette flow, stress, surface forces on a fluid cube.
Fri., 6 Feb., Quiz #2. Newton’s 2nd law for a fluid parcel: body vs surface forces
Mon., 9 Feb., Derivation of the Cauchy momentum equation.
Weds., 11 Feb., Cauchy momentum equation in index notation; stress-tensor symmetry
Fri., 13 Feb., Quiz #3. continue discussion of index notation, Kronecker delta
Mon., 16 Feb., Strain rate tensor, divergence, and constitutive equation for incompressible Newtonian fluid
Weds., 18 Feb., Derivation of pressure gradient force and Diffusion of momentum due to viscosity.
Fri., 20 Feb., Quiz #4. Acceleration due to molecular viscosity and concave and convex velocity profiles. Begin discussion of body forces: Gravity.
Mon., 23 Feb., True gravity, centripetal and centrifigal acceleration, and apparent gravity
Weds., 25 Feb., First Annual Environmental Fluid Mechanics Breakfast at Mom's resturant
Fri., 27 Feb., Discussion of units, review of apparent gravity, true gravity, and centrifugal forces
Mon., 2 Mar., Vector cross-product as a mathematical tool for developing Coriolis term. Velocity of a point on a rotating plane.
Weds., 4 Mar., Derivation of expression for acceleration of a non-inertial coordinate system.
Fri., 6 Mar., Quiz #5. Inclusion of effects of non-intertial coordinate system in Navier-Stokes: Coriolis term for flat polar tangent plane.
Mon., 9 Mar., Derivation of terms for f-plane approximation (Coriolis terms as function of latitude for flat tangent planes)
Weds., 11 Mar., Integrating the Coriolis terms (twice) to calculate deflection of a moving parcel or projectile in a non-inertial reference frame.
Fri., 13 Mar., Quiz #6. Derivation of advective terms and Eulerian reference frame.
Mon., 16 Mar., Spring break. No classes.
Weds., 18 Mar., Spring break. No classes.
Fri., 20 Mar., Spring break. No classes.
Mon., 23 Mar.,
Weds., 25 Mar.,
Fri., 27 Mar.,
Mon., 30 Mar.,
Weds., 1 Apr.,
Fri., 3 Apr.,
Mon., 6 Apr.,
Weds., 8 Apr.,
Fri., 10 Apr.,
Mon., 13 Apr.,
Weds., 15 Apr.,
Fri., 17 Apr.,
Mon., 20 Apr.,
Weds., 22 Apr.,
Fri., 24 Apr.,
Mon., 27 Apr.,
Weds., 29 Apr.,
Fri., 1 May,
Mon., 4 May,
Weds., 6 May,
Fri., 8 May,
Weds., 11 May,

Dr. Mayor's page