| Abstract: | A laboratory system was used to test the effect of water flow on the resuspension of mud and sand sediments and, specifically, benthic diatoms from the Ems estuary, The Netherlands. Current velocities generated by two rotating cylinders in a cylindrical tank were determined by a small float and a laser Doppler velocimeter. At low angular velocities, the amount of suspended matter increased linearly with angular velocity and the float current velocity. However, at higher angular velocities, the increase in current velocity was less because of the strong turbulence: concomitantly, the current velocity boundary layer (δ) became thinner and the suspended matter concentration increased rapidly. The dominant diatom species from the sandy sediment were suspended in two distinct groups, one of which consisted of the species Navicula aequorea, Navicula salinicola, Ophephora martyi and Opephora pacifica, and was more exclusively bound to sand grains than the other. The benthic diatom species inhabiting the silty sediment did not show this difference. The most important shortcoming in the experiments was the inability to determine the radial and vertical velocity components. This precluded reliable calculations of the shear stress. The data presented emphasize the importance of finding a method to determine the shear stress under experiments and field conditions so that direct comparisons can be made. Despite this it is assumed that, just as under the experimental conditions discussed, under natural conditions in shallow waters resuspension starts at current velocities as low as ca. 10 cm s−1. |
