Experimental investigation of bedload transport processes under unsteady flow conditions

Hydraulic engineering is usually based on theoretical analysis and/or numerical modelling simulation. As the dynamic behaviour of sediment movement under unsteady flow is still unclear, and field measurement is comparatively difficult during a large flood, prior investigations through flume experiments are required. A series of flume experiments, conducted using different inflow hydrographs without sediment supply from upstream, was carried out to investigate the sediment transport process under unsteady flow conditions. A series of triangular hydrographs were performed in the experiments. The results indicate that a temporal lag was found between the flow hydrograph peak and the sediment hydrograph peak because large size sand dunes lasted for a short period in the falling limb of the flow hydrograph. The temporal lag was found to be about equal to 6–15% of the flow hydrograph duration. Owing to the temporal lag, the total bedload yield in the rising period was less than that in the falling period. Furthermore, the measured total bedload yield in the unsteady flow experiments was larger than the predicted value, which was estimated by using the results obtained from the equivalent steady flow experiment. The peak bedload transport rate for unsteady flow conditions was also larger than the predicted value. The ratios of the measured to the predicted quantities mentioned above were found to be constant values for different shapes of hydrographs. It is, therefore, expected that the analytical results of sediment transport from equivalent steady flow can be a good reference for sediment transport under unsteady flow conditions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tools and cover effects in bedload transport observations in the Pitzbach,Austria

We report bedload data and acoustic impulse measurements due to particle impact from the Pitzbach in Austria. Impulse counts can be viewed as a measure of the energy delivered to the bed by moving particles. Impulse counts show a large scatter even for the same discharge and bedload supply. This scatter is due to varying grain size distribution, grain shape, mode of transport of the sediment particles and spatial and temporal distribution of the sediment load. The mean impulse count at given hydraulic conditions may increase or decrease with increasing sediment supply, suggesting that both tools and cover effects are active on the channel bed. Dependent on the local balance between sediment supply and transport capacity, either effect may be dominant at different locations along the cross‐section at the same time. Furthermore, the same bed location may respond to increasing sediment supply as tools‐dominated at some discharges and cover‐dominated at other discharges. Our observations may have implications for modelling of bedrock erosion in landscape evolution models and of bedrock channel morphology. Erosion models that do not incorporate both tools and cover effects are not sufficient to describe observations. Furthermore, a local erosion law cannot in general be used to describe erosion averaged over the channel cross‐section. The changing balance between sediment supply and transport capacity with increasing discharge highlights that a single representative discharge is not sufficient to capture the full erosion dynamics. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Formation and erosion of sediment cover in an experimental bedrock‐alluvial channel

Sediment grains in a bedrock‐alluvial river will be deposited within or adjacent to a sediment patch, or as isolated grains on the bedrock surface. Previous analysis of grain geometry has demonstrated that these arrangements produce significant differences in grain entrainment shear stress. However, this analysis neglected potential interactions between the sediment patches, local hydraulics and grain entrainment. We present a series of flume experiments that measure the influence of sediment patches on grain entrainment. The flume had a planar bed with roughness that was much smaller than the diameters of the mobile grains. In each experiment sediment was added either as individual grains or as a single sediment pulse. Flow was then increased until the sediment was entrained. Analysis of the experiments demonstrates that: (1) for individual grains, coarse grains are entrained at a higher discharge than fine grains; (2) once sediment patches are present, the different in entrainment discharge between coarse and fine grains is greatly reduced; (3) the sheltering effect of patches also increases the entrainment discharge of isolated grains; (4) entire sediment patches break‐up and are eroded quickly, rather than through progressive grain‐by‐grain erosion; (5) as discharge increases there is some tendency for patches to become more elongate and flow‐aligned, and more randomly distributed across the bed. One implication of this research is that the critical shear stress in bedrock‐alluvial channels will be a function of the extent of the sediment cover. Another is that the influence of sediment patches equalizes critical shear stresses between different grain sizes and grain locations, meaning that these factors may not need to be accounted for. Further research is needed to quantify interactions between sediment patches, grain entrainment and local hydraulics on rougher bedrock surfaces, and under different types of sediment supply. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamics of bedload transport in Turkey brook,a coarse-grained alluvial channel

Automatic and continuously recording samplers are deployed in a Hertfordshire gravel-bed stream to show that bedload transport is related to stream power. The pattern is similar to that already established for North American channels but, because the record is so detailed, it is possible to identify the cause of the considerable scatter that is normal in such relationships. A major factor is the occurrence of rhythmic pulses in bedload discharge that are not matched by similar fluctuations in hydraulic variables. It is suggested that these pulses reflect downstream differences in the concentration of mobile particles in a slow-moving traction carpet, and that they may be likened to kinematic waves. The record also reveals that the threshold of sediment transport—always presumed hithero to be associated with incipient motion—is related to the cessation of bedload transport in a river flood. Indeed, the mean value of stream power at the finish of bedload transport is only 20 percent of that prevailing at the moment of incipient sediment motion. Because of this, there is an inevitably poor correlation between actual bedload transport rates and those predicted by bedload equations which rely upon a single traction threshold. These new data show that the general inverse relationship between bedload discharge and water-depth : grain-size ratio proposed by Bagnold (1977, 1980) is not universal. Transport efficiency for this gravel-bed stream is typically 0.05 per cent of available stream power, which compares with 1.6 per cent for a river moving both gravel and sand, and 5 per cent for another channel where bedload is composed predominantly of sand-sized particles. It is argued that coarse and fine-grained alluvial channels may need to be considered separately. By allowing for differences in traction threshold at the beginning and end of bedload events, and by averaging bedload discharge flood by flood in order to smooth out the effect of pulses, it is possible to achieve a reasonably good prediction of average bedload transport rate in terms of stream power.     

Dependence of sediment sorting on bedload transport phase in a river meander

It is widely recognized nowadays that there are at least two different phases of bedload sediment transport in gravel‐bed rivers. However, the transition between these phases is still poorly or subjectively defined, especially at bends in rivers, where cross‐stream sediment transport can strongly influence changes in the texture of the transported sediment. In this paper, we use piecewise models to identify objectively, at two points in the cross‐section of a river bend, the discharge at which the transition between bedload transport phases occurs. Piecewise models were applied to a new bedload data set collected during a wide range of discharges while analysing the associated changes in sediment texture. Results allowed the identification of two well‐differentiated phases of sediment transport (phase I and phase II), with a breakpoint located around bankfull discharge. Associated with each phase there was a change in bedload texture. In phase I there was non‐dominance in the transport of fine or coarse fractions at a particular sampling point; but in phase II bedload texture was strongly linked to the position of the sampling point across the channel. In this phase, fine particles tended to be transported to the inner bank, while coarse sizes were transferred throughout the middle parts of the channel. Moreover, bedload texture at the inner sampling point became bimodal while the transport of pebble‐sized particles was increasing in the central parts of the river channel. It is suggested that this general pattern may be related both to secondary currents, which transfer finer particles from the outer to the inner bank, and to the progressive dismantling of the riverbed surface layer. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Patterns of bedload entrainment and transport in forested headwater streams of the Columbia Mountains,Canada

We monitor bedload transport and water discharge at six stations in two forested headwater streams of the Columbia Mountains, Canada. The nested monitoring network is designed to examine the effects of channel bed texture, and the influence of alluvial (i.e. step pools and riffle pools) and semialluvial morphologies (i.e. boulder cascades and forced step pools) on bedload entrainment and transport. Results indicate that dynamics of bedload entrainment are influenced by differences in flow resistance attributable to morphology. Scaled fractional analysis shows that in reaches with high form resistance most bedload transport occurs in partial mobility fashion relative to the available bed material, while calibers finer than 16 mm attain full mobility during bankfull flows. Equal mobility transport for a wider range of grain sizes is achieved in reaches exhibiting reduced form resistance. Our findings confirm that the Shields value for mobilization of the median surface grain size depends on channel gradient and relative submergence; however, we also find that these relations vary considerably for cobble and gravel bed channels due to proportionality between dimensionless shear stress and grain size. Exponents of bedload rating curves across sites correlate most with the D_90s of the mobile bed, however, where grain effects are controlled (i.e. along individual streams), differences in form resistance across morphologies exert a primary control on bedload transport dynamics. Application of empirical formulae developed for use in steep alpine channels present variable success in predicting transport rates in forested snowmelt streams. Formulae that explicitly account for reductions in mobile bed area and high morphological resistance associated with woody debris provide the best approximation to observed empirical data. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Differential bedload transport rates in a gravel-bed stream: A grain-size distribution approach

Two methods that were recently proposed for calculating fractional bedload transport rates in gravel-bed streams are examined closely. Both of them employ the Oak Creek bedload data. The Diplas (PD) method is guided by dimensional analysis and, therefore, can be used to predict bedload transport in different gravel rivers. The only requirement for using this method is the knowledge of the subsurface material size distribution of the stream of interest. The expression for the fractional bedload transport obtained by the Shih and Komar (SK) method for Oak Creek cannot be used for other streams. Its use for a given stream requires information that is rarely available. For the Oak Creek case both methods demonstrate similar predictive ability.     

The influence of channel morphology on bedload path lengths: Insights from a survival process model

Tracer studies are a commonly used tool to develop and test Einstein-type stochastic bedload transport models. The movements of these tracers are controlled by many factors including grain characteristics, hydrologic forcing, and channel morphology. Although the influence of these sediment storage zones related to morphological features (e.g., bars, pools, riffles) have long been observed to “trap” bedload particles in transport, this influence has not been adequately quantified. In this paper we explore the influence of channel morphology on particle travel distances through the development of a Bayesian survival process model. This model simulates particle path length distributions using a location-specific “trapping probability” parameter (p_i ), which is estimated using the starting and ending locations of bedload tracers. We test this model using a field tracer study from Halfmoon Creek, Colorado. We find that (1) the model is able to adequately recreate the observed multi-modal path length distributions, (2) particles tend to accumulate in trapping zones, especially during large floods, and (3) particles entrained near a trapping zone will travel a shorter distance than one that is further away. Particle starting positions can affect path lengths by as much as a factor of two, which we confirm by modelling “starting-location-specific” path length probability distributions. This study highlights the importance of considering both tracer locations and channel topography in examinations of field tracer studies. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of exceptional events on erosion,bedload transport and channel stability in a step‐pool channel

Sediment transport in the Erlenbach, a small stream with step‐pool morphology in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland, has been monitored for more than 20 years. During this time three exceptional events (events with high sediment yield and long return times that have a large effect on channel morphology) have impacted the stream and partly or completely rearranged the existing step‐pool morphology. In the aftermath of the events, sediment transport rates at a given discharge and total sediment yield remained elevated for about a year or longer. For the last event, dated on the 20 June 2007, observations of boulder mobility and step destruction were used to interpret channel stability. Boulders with median diameters of up to 135 cm and estimated weights of more than 2·5 tons have moved during the 2007 event. Using hydraulic observations and shear stress calculations boulders up to 65 cm in diameter were predicted to have been fully mobile in peak conditions, even if form resistance and increased critical stresses needed for the initiation of motion in steep streams were taken into account. For two of the events, estimated peak shear stresses at the bed exceeded 1000 Pa, calculated both from observations of the flow hydraulics and from boulder mobility. This suggests that highly energetic flows occur relatively frequently in small, steep streams and that large boulders can be transported by fluvial processes in such streams. The observations have potential significance for hazard risk mitigation, stream engineering and restoration. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variability of bedload transport and channel morphology in a braided river hydraulic model

This paper investigates variability in bedload transport and channel morphology for 11 replicate experimental runs in an approximately 1:50 braided river model. The experiments, each of 90 h duration, were carried out in a 20 × 3m tilting flume. All the experiments started with the same initial conditions. Bedload transport was measured at 5 min intervals in a collection drum at the exit from the flume. The model showed reasonable hydraulic similarity when compared to prototype rivers. Results show that mean bedload transport rates for the 11 runs vary in the range 0·98 to 1·49gs^?1 (mean + 1·21, coefficient of variation 11 per cent). Within-run transport rates commonly vary from close to zero, to two and occasionally three or four times the mean rate. Within the bedload series, several irregular phases of transport intensity can be observed, but time series analysis of the data show little underlying serial structure (an AR(2) autoregressive model is appropriate). Channel patterns are narrow/braided, are established quickly and remain relatively stable throughout the runs, although channel widths increase between 20 and 103 per cent over the 11 runs. Channel behaviour varies from aggradational to transitional between aggradation and degradation. Time-averaged bedload transport rate is weakly correlated with braiding intensity. In general, these results demonstrate that for a given set of controlling variables, bedload transport and channel morphology can be approximately replicated.     

Coarse bedload transport in a mountain river

Coarse bedload transport dynamics are investigated utilizing hydrodynamic and sediment transport data obtained in an extensively instrumented study reach located in Squaw Creek, Montana, USA. During 1991 and 1992, a number of discrete bedload transport events associated with the daily rise and fall in stream discharge were investigated. Data show that initiation of sediment transport was accompanied by a reduction in bed roughness and by changes in bulk hydraulic parameters. For larger discharges, coarser fractions of the bed material mobilized, and bedload transport rates and average hydraulic parameters stabilized. As discharge reduced, mobile coarse particles became less frequent and deposited fine particles were removed, resulting in an increase in bed roughness. These observations are attributed to the downstream translation of bar sediments during the passage of a hydrograph. Bedload pulses were aperiodic but spatially variable. Flow turbulence and velocity profile data obtained during low flows allowed comparison between average bed shear stress and apparent bed roughness estimates obtained using different approaches. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The causes of bedload pulses in a gravel channel: the implications of bedload grain‐size distributions

Unsteady bedload transport was measured in two c. 5 m wide anabranches of a gravel‐bed braided stream draining the Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland, during the 1998 and 1999 melt seasons. Bedload was directly sampled using 152 mm square Helley–Smith type samplers deployed from a portable measuring bridge, and independent transport rate estimates for the coarser size fractions were obtained from the dispersion of magnetically tagged tracer pebbles. Bedload transport time series show pulsing behaviour under both marginal (1998) and partial (1999) transport regimes. There are generally weak correlations between transport rates and shear stresses determined from velocity data recorded at the measuring bridge. Characteristic parameters of the bedload grain‐size distributions (D₅₀, D₈₄) are weakly correlated with transport rates. Analysis of full bedload grain‐size distributions reveals greater structure, with a tendency for transport to become less size selective at higher transport rates. The bedload time series show autoregressive behaviour but are dif?cult to distinguish by this method. State–space plots, and associated measures of time‐series separation, reveal the structure of the time series more clearly. The measured pulses have distinctly different time‐series characteristics from those modelled using a one‐dimensional sediment routing model in which bed shear stress and grain size are varied randomly. These results suggest a mechanism of pulse generation based on irregular low‐amplitude bedforms, that may be generated in‐channel or may represent the advection of material supplied by bank erosion events. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of organic debris on channel morphology and bedload transport in a New Zealand forest stream

The behaviour and form of, and bedload sediment transport through, a 3.5 m wide forest stream have been monitored for nearly three years. Bedload transport is highly episodic and spatially variable, and is controlled less by water discharge than by sediment availability. Organic debris in the channel creates temporary base levels and sites at which coarse sediment may remain stored for long periods; collapse or disruption of log and debris jams makes sediment available for transport in only a small proportion of the runoff events that are actually competent to move the material. Even then, sediment travels only a short distance before being redeposited, frequently behind debris accumulations further downstream. Rates of sediment transport during a given runoff event can vary markedly over short distances along the stream, again depending on whether sediment was made available for transport by log jam collapse upstream. Organic debris is therefore a major constraint on the application of physical laws and theories to explaining sediment movement in, and the morphology of, this stream.     

Bedload transport and temporal variation of non-uniform sediment in a seepage-affected alluvial channel

Understanding bedload transport fluctuations in rivers is crucial for complementing the existing knowledge on sediment transport theory. In this contribution, we use a natural-scale laboratory flume to analyse bedload transport fluctuations in non-uniform sand under normal flow conditions. Based on the significance of downward seepage, we incorporate the seepage effect on bedload transport over a non-uniform sand bed channel. The weight of the dry material was measured, and the volumetric transport rate per unit width (bedload transport rate) was estimated. An important observation is that the bedload transport rate initially rapidly increases with time and reaches a maximum value. Based on experimental data, we propose an empirical expression to estimate temporal bedload transport. In addition, an empirical model for bedload transport is proposed by incorporating downward seepage among other variables. The performance of several existing bedload transport formulae was also taken into account by the experimental datasets.     

Back‐calculation of bedload transport in steep channels with a numerical model

In August 2005 severe flood events occurred in the Alps. A sediment routing model for steep torrent channel networks called SETRAC has been applied to six well‐documented case study streams with substantial sediment transport in Austria and Switzerland. For these streams information on the sediment budget along the main channel is available. Flood hydrographs were reconstructed based on precipitation data and stream gauges in neighbouring catchments. Different scenarios are modelled and discussed regarding sediment availability and the effect of armouring and macro‐roughness on sediment transport calculations. The simulation results show the importance of considering increased flow resistance for small relative flow depth when modelling bedload transport during high‐intensity flood events in torrents and mountain rivers. Without any correction of increased flow resistance using a reduced energy slope, the predicted bedload volumes are about a factor of 10 higher on average than the observed values. Simulation results were also used for a back‐calculation of macro‐roughness effects from bedload transport data, and compared with an independent estimate of flow resistance partitioning based on flow resistance data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Testing bedload transport formulae using morphologic transport estimates and field data: lower Fraser River,British Columbia

Morphologic transport estimates available for a 65‐km stretch of Fraser River over the period 1952–1999 provide a unique opportunity to evaluate the performance of bedload transport formulae for a large river over decadal time scales. Formulae tested in this paper include the original and rational versions of the Bagnold formula, the Meyer‐Peter and Muller formula and a stream power correlation. The generalized approach adopted herein does not account for spatial variability in flow, bed structure and channel morphology. However, river managers and engineers, as well as those studying rivers within the context of long‐term landscape change, may find this approach satisfactory as it has minimal data requirements and provides a level of process specification that may be commensurable with longer time scales. Hydraulic geometry equations for width and depth are defined using morphologic maps based on aerial photography and bathymetric survey data. Comparison of transport predictions with bedload transport measurements completed at Mission indicates that the original Bagnold formula most closely approximates the main trends in the field data. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to evaluate the impact of inaccuracies in input variables width, depth, slope and grain size on transport predictions. The formulae differ in their sensitivity to input variables and between reaches. Average annual bedload transport predictions for the four formulae show that they vary between each other as well as from the morphologic transport estimates. The original Bagnold and Meyer‐Peter and Muller formulae provide the best transport predictions, although the former underestimates while the latter overestimates transport rates. Based on our findings, an error margin of up to an order of magnitude can be expected when adopting generalized approaches for the prediction of bedload transport. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Continuous measurement of sediment transport in the Erlenbach stream using piezoelectric bedload impact sensors

We report on bedload transport observations using piezoelectric bedload impact sensors (PBIS), an indirect method of estimating the volume of bedload transport of coarse sediment. The PBIS device registers vibrations produced by bedload (particle diameter >～20 mm) and records the signal as a sum of the number of impulses per time. Sediment transport at the Erlenbach stream has been continuously monitored with a PBIS array starting in 1986. The sensor array spans the width of an entire cross‐section and is mounted flush with the surface of a check dam immediately upstream of a sediment retention basin. We compare PBIS data with long‐term sedimentation records obtained from repeated surveys of material stored in the sediment retention basin, with artificial sediment input under controlled conditions in the field, and also with laboratory experiments. The rate of bedload transport is proportional to the number of impacts on the sensor per unit time. The reliability of the calibration relationship increases with the length of the observation period, e.g. for higher numbers of impacts and larger bedload volumes. Sediment volumes for individual flood events estimated with the PBIS method are in agreement with volumes estimated using an independent empirical method based on the effective runoff volume of water, the peak water discharge, and the critical discharge for the onset of sediment transport. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Turbulent flow structures and geomorphic characteristics of a mining affected alluvial channel

Sediment mining in rivers may have a major impact on river geomorphology and research is required to quantify these impacts. In this research, experimental studies were conducted to analyse the morphological changes of channel bed and the turbulent characteristics of flow in the presence of mining. The channel bed profile shows erosion at the bank of the pit and that the erosion expands to the whole width of the channel and propagates downstream with time. The deposition of sediment occurs along the upstream edge of the pit and the depth of the pit decreases with time. Velocity reversal occurs at the central bottom of the pit related to a recirculation zone. Reynolds shear stress and the turbulent intensities become higher in the mining pit region and downstream of it as compared to the upstream section, causing a more rapid movement of bed particles. Analysis of the bursting phenomenon shows that the contribution of sweep and ejection events to the total Reynolds shear stress is more dominant over outward and inward interaction events. The dominance of the sweep event over ejection is observed at the near‐bed region for all the sections, but the depth range of dominance of sweep events in the pit and downstream of the pit is found to be more than the upstream. The increase in thickness is responsible for the increase in bed material transport. The increased sediment transport capacity at the mining pit and downstream of it caused the deformation and lowering of channel bed downstream. An empirical formulation of bedload transport for mining induced channels is derived from two different sized uniform bed materials. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temporal variations in bedload transport rates associated with the migration of bedforms

Temporal variations in bedload transport rates that occur at a variety of timescales, even under steady flow conditions, are accepted as an inherent component of the bedload transport process. Rarely, however, has the cause of such variations been explained clearly. We consider three data sets, obtained from laboratory experiments, that refer to measurements of bedload transport made with continuously recording bedload traps. Each data set is characterized by a predominant low-frequency oscillation, on which additional higher-frequency oscillations generally are superimposed. The period of these oscillations, as isolated through the use of spectral analysts, ranged between 0·47 and 168 minutes, and was associated unequivocally with the migration of bedforms such as ripples, dunes, and bars. The extent to which such oscillatory behaviour may be recognized in a data set depends on the duration of sampling and the length of the sampling time, with respect to the period of a given bedform. Several theoretical probability distribution functions have been developed to describe the frequency distributions of (relative) bedload transport rates that are associated with the migration of bedforms (Einstein, 1937b; Hamamori, 1962; Carey and Hubbell, 1986). These distribution functions were derived without reference to a sampling interval. We present a modification of Hamamori's (1962) probability distribution function, generated by Monte Carlo simulation, which permits one to specify the sampling interval, in relation to the length of a bedform. Comparisons between the simulated and observed frequency distributions, that were undertaken on the basis of the data described herein, are good (significant at the 90 per cent confidence level). Finally, the implications that temporal variability, which is associated with the migration of bedforms, have for the accurate determination of bedload transport rates are considered.     

Insights into bedload transport processes of a large regulated gravel‐bed river

A comprehensive monitoring programme focusing on bedload transport behaviour was conducted at a large gravel‐bed river. Innovative monitoring strategies were developed during five years of preconstruction observations accompanying a restoration project. A bedload basket sampler was used to perform 55 cross‐sectional measurements, which cover the entire water discharge spectrum from a 200‐year flood event in 2013 to a rare low flow event. The monitoring activities provide essential knowledge regarding bedload transport processes in large rivers. We have identified the initiation of motion under low flow conditions and a decrease in the rate of bedload discharge with increasing water discharge around bankfull conditions. Bedload flux strongly increases again during high flood events when the entire inundation area is flooded. No bedload hysteresis was observed. The effective discharge for bedload transport was determined to be near mean flow conditions, which is therefore at a lower flow discharge than expected. A numerical sediment transport model was able to reproduce the measured sediment transport patterns. The unique dataset enables the characterisation of bedload transport patterns in a large and regulated gravel‐bed river, evaluation of modern river engineering measures on the Danube, and, as a pilot project has recently been under construction, is able to address ongoing river bed incision, unsatisfactory ecological conditions for the adjacent national park and insufficient water depths for inland navigation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.