The impact of hydrograph variability and frequency on sediment transport dynamics in a gravel-bed flume

A laboratory study was undertaken to investigate how changes in flow regime and hydrograph shape (number of cycled hydrographs and duration of each hydrograph) together impact bedload transport and resulting bed morphology. Three hydrologic conditions (experiments) representing different levels of urbanization, or analogously different flow regimes, were derived from measured hydrometric field data. Each experiment consisted of a series of hydrographs with equal peak discharge and varying frequency, duration and flashiness. Bedload transport was measured throughout each hydrograph and measurements of bed topography and surface texture were recorded after each hydrograph. The results revealed hysteresis loops in both the total and fractional transport, with more pronounced loops for longer duration hydrographs, corresponding to lower rate of unsteadiness until reaching the peak discharge (pre-urbanization conditions). Shorter duration hydrographs (urban conditions) displayed more time above critical shear stress thresholds leading to higher bedload transport rates and ultimately to more variable hysteresis patterns. Surface textures from photographic methods revealed surface armoring in all experiments, with larger armor ratios for longer duration hydrographs, speculated to be due to vertical sorting and more time for bed rearrangements to occur. The direction of bed surface adjustment was linked to bedload hysteresis, more precisely with clockwise hysteresis (longer hydrographs) typically resulting in bed coarsening. More frequent and shorter duration hydrographs result in greater relative channel adjustments in slope, topographic variability and surface texture. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bedload transport processes in a braided gravel-bed river model

A 1:50 scale hydraulic model was designed, based on Froude number similarity and using hydrological and sediment data from a small braided gravel-bed river (the North Branch of the Ashburton River, Canterbury, New Zealand). Eighteen experiments were conducted; seven using steady flows, and eleven using unsteady flows. The experiments were carried out in a 20 m × 3 m tilting flume equipped with a continuous sediment feed and an automated data acquisition and control system. In all experiments water at 30°C was used to reduce viscosity-related scale effects. Analyses of the experimental data revealed that bedload transport rates in braided channels are highly variable, with relative variability being inversely related to mean bedload transport rate. Variability was also found to be cyclic with short-term variations being caused by the migration of bedforms. Bedload transport was found to be more efficient under steady flow than under unsteady flow, and it was postulated that this is caused by a tendency for channel form to evolve towards a condition which maximizes bedload transport for the occurring flow. Average bedload transport rate was found to vary with channel form, although insufficient measurements were made to define a relationship.     

Feedbacks between erosion and sediment transport in experimental bedrock channels

Natural bedrock rivers flow in self‐formed channels and form diverse erosional morphologies. The parameters that collectively define channel morphology (e.g. width, slope, bed roughness, bedrock exposure, sediment size distribution) all influence river incision rates and dynamically adjust in poorly understood ways to imposed fluid and sediment fluxes. To explore the mechanics of river incision, we conducted laboratory experiments in which the complexities of natural bedrock channels were reduced to a homogenous brittle substrate (sand and cement), a single sediment size primarily transported as bedload, a single erosion mechanism (abrasion) and sediment‐starved transport conditions. We find that patterns of erosion both create and are sensitive functions of the evolving bed topography because of feedbacks between the turbulent flow field, sediment transport and bottom roughness. Abrasion only occurs where sediment impacts the bed, and so positive feedback occurs between the sediment preferentially drawn to topographic lows by gravity and the further erosion of these lows. However, the spatial focusing of erosion results in tortuous flow paths and erosional forms (inner channels, scoops, potholes), which dissipate flow energy. This energy dissipation is a negative feedback that reduces sediment transport capacity, inhibiting further incision and ultimately leading to channel morphologies adjusted to just transport the imposed sediment load. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling changes in rill erodibility and critical shear stress on native surface roads

This study investigated the effect of cumulative overland flow on rill erodibility and critical shear stress on native surface roads in central Idaho. Rill erodibility decreased exponentially with increasing cumulative overland flow depth; however, critical shear stress did not change. The study demonstrated that road erodibility on the studied road changes over the course of one or more consecutive overland flow events. Therefore, model simulations that fail to take into consideration this change will probably over-estimate sediment yields. An exponential function describing the relationship between rill erodibility and cumulative overland flow depth is presented as a basis for future model development for simulating erosion on native surface roads. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Patterns of grain‐size dependent sediment transport in low‐ordered,ephemeral channels

Sediment data were analyzed to determine grain‐size dependant factors affecting sediment transport in a low‐ordered, ephemeral watershed. Sediment and flow samples were collected during 22 flow events at the outlet of a 4·53 ha sub‐watershed within the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed in south‐eastern Arizona. Measured concentrations ranged from 4191 to 115 045 mg l^?1 and included grain sizes up to 8·0 mm in diameter. Two grain‐size dependent transport patterns were observed, that of the finer grain‐size fraction (approximately < 0·25 mm) and that of a coarser grain‐size fraction (approximately ≥ 0·25 mm). The concentration of the fine fraction decreased with flow duration, peaking near the beginning of a flow event and declining thereafter. The concentration of the fine fraction showed slight trends with season and recovery period. The concentration of the coarse fraction displayed a slight negative trend with instantaneous discharge and was not correlated with event duration. These patterns typically produced a condition where the majority of the fine fraction of the sediment yield was evacuated out of the watershed before the hydrograph peak while the majority of the coarser sediment was evacuated during the falling limb of the hydrograph. Each grain‐size dependent transport pattern was likely influenced by the source of the associated sediment. At the flow event time scale, the fines were primarily wash load, supplied from the hillslopes and the coarser grains were entrained from the channel bed. Because transport patterns differ based on grain size, attempts to define the total sediment concentration and sediment yield by the behavior of a single grain‐size fraction may lead to erroneous results, especially when a large range of sediment grain sizes are present. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of particle density and inflow concentration of suspended sediment on bedload transport in rill flow

Laboratory flume experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of particle density on bedload transport of sand‐sized particles and the effect of a suspended load of clay particles (kaolinite) on bedload transport of sand‐sized particles in rill flow conditions. Three materials in the range 400–600 µm were selected to simulate bedload transport of primary particles and aggregates: sand (2650 kg/m³), crushed brick (2450 kg/m³) and anthracite (1300–1700 kg/m³). In the two first experiments, two different methods were applied to determine bedload transport capacity of coarse particles for various conditions of flow discharge (from 2 to 15 L/min) and slope (2.2, 3 and 4%). In the third experiment, clear water was replaced with kaolinite–water mixture and bedload transport capacity of crushed brick particles was determined for a 4% slope and different concentrations of kaolinite (0, 7, 41 and 84 g/L). The results showed that bedload transport increased significantly with the decrease in particle density but the effect of particle density on transport rates was much less important than flow discharge. Velocity measurements of clear flow, flow mixed with coarse particles and coarse particles confirmed the existence of a differentiation between suspended load and bedload. In these experimental conditions, suspended load of kaolinite did not affect bedload rates of crushed brick particles. Three transport capacity formulae were tested against observed bedload rates. A calibration of the Foster formula revealed that the shear stress exponent should be greater than 1.5. The Low and the Govers unit stream power (USP) equations were then evaluated. The Low equation was preferred for the prediction of bedload rates of primary particles but it was not recommended in the case of aggregates of low density because of the limited experimental conditions applied to derive this equation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transport and deposition of fine sediment in open channels with different aspect ratios

This paper investigates by means of several large eddy simulations how the channel aspect ratio affects the transport and settling of suspended sediments. The numerical method is successfully validated using data of a physical experiment of fine sediment net deposition in an open channel flow. The channel aspect ratio, A, is known to be the determining factor for the development, strength and distribution of the turbulence‐driven secondary flow, and it is demonstrated that A influences the primary flow, turbulence quantities and the transport and fate of fine sediments. The secondary flow locally supports or hinders the falling of fine sediment particles in a turbulent flow, which results in a non‐uniform deposition of fine sediments over the cross‐section. While the channel aspect ratio has a large influence on the distribution of suspended sediments within the cross‐section, its effect on the cross‐sectional averaged deposition is negligibly small. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Channel movement and erosion response to rainfall variability in southeast Australia

Intrinsic and extrinsic forces on the catchment and stream channel network drive morphological change. Separating individual forcings is difficult given the complexity of such nonlinear systems. Here a modelling approach is used to investigate the sensitivity of channel position and movement under a series of realistic rainfall scenarios for a catchment in southeastern Australia. The results demonstrate the sensitivity of the catchment to different rainfall patterns and how relatively small changes in rainfall can lead to much larger sediment outputs revealing sensitivity to subtle changes in climate. Channel movement occurs as an avulsion. This is the first time such a process has been observed and modelled in an ephemeral stream environment and demonstrates fluvial geomorphic change at human time scales. Human intervention by rock lining channels was demonstrated to prevent the movement of the main channel. Overall the CAESAR landscape evolution and erosion model used in this study is able to replicate both erosion rates and the variation in past channel movement. The modelling suggests that any landscape change is based on both internal and external forcing and that landscape history also plays a significant role. Here, we demonstrate the potential to quantify many of the nonlinearities and thresholds in soil‐mantled catchments using a landscape evolution model. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vertical profiles of fluid velocity and suspended sediment concentration in nearshore

Based on the power function of velocity and the friction velocity,a velocity profile is obtained.By solving the Schmidt’s diffusion equation,an equilibrium suspended sediment concentration profile is further deduced.The profiles of velocity and suspended sediment concentration agree well with the field data,and the profile of suspended sediment concentration avoids the unreasonableness of the classical Rouse profile such as a zero value at the water surface.According to these profiles,an expression which is easy to use for calculating the suspended sediment transport rate is derived.     

Distributed discharge and sediment concentration predictions in the sub‐humid Ethiopian highlands: the Debre Mawi watershed

Experimental research in the Ethiopian highlands found that saturation excess induced runoff and erosion are common in the sub‐humid conditions. Because most erosion simulation models applied in the highlands are based on infiltration excess, we, as an alternative, developed the Parameter Efficient Distributed (PED) model, which can simulate water and sediment fluxes in landscapes with saturation excess runoff. The PED model has previously only been tested at the outlet of a watershed and not for distributed runoff and sediment concentration within the watershed. In this study, we compare the distributed storm runoff and sediment concentration of the PED model against collected data in the 95‐ha Debre Mawi watershed and three of its nested sub‐watersheds for the 2010 and 2011 rainy seasons. In the PED model framework, the hydrology of the watershed is divided between infiltrating and runoff zones, with erosion only taking place from two surface runoff zones. Daily storm runoff and sediment concentration values, ranging from 0.5 to over 30 mm and from 0.1 to 35 g l^?1, respectively, were well simulated. The Nash Sutcliffe efficiency values for the daily storm runoff for outlet and sub‐watersheds ranged from 0.66 to 0.82, and the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency for daily sediment concentrations were greater than 0.78. Furthermore, the model uses realistic fractional areas for surface and subsurface flow contributions, for example between saturated areas (15%), degraded areas (30%) and permeable areas (55%) at the main outlet, while close similarity was found for the remaining hydrology and erosion parameter values. One exception occurred for the distinctly greater transport limited parameter at the actively gullying lower part of the watershed. The results suggest that the model based on saturation excess provides a good representation of the observed spatially distributed runoff and sediment concentrations within a watershed by modelling the bottom lands (as opposed to the uplands) as the dominant contributor of the runoff and sediment load. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sensitivity of simulated flow fields and bathymetries in meandering channels to the choice of a morphodynamic model

Morphodynamic models are used by river practitioners and scientists to simulate geomorphic change in natural and artificial river channels. It has long been recognized that these models are sensitive to the choice of parameter values, and proper calibration is now common practice. This paper investigates the less recognized impact of the choice of the model itself. All morphodynamic models purport to simulate the same flow and sediment dynamics, often relying on the same governing equations. Yet in solving these equations, the models have different underlying assumptions, for example regarding spatial discretization, turbulence, sediment inflow, lateral friction, and bed load transport. These differences are not always considered by the average model user, who might expect similar predictions from calibrated models. Here, a series of numerical simulations in meandering channels was undertaken to test whether six morphodynamic codes (BASEMENT, CCHE‐2D, NAYS, SSIIM‐1, TELEMAC‐2D and TELEMAC‐3D) would yield significantly different equilibrium bathymetries if subjected to identical, initial flow conditions. We found that, despite producing moderately similar velocity patterns on a fixed‐flat bed (regression coefficient r of 0.77 ± 0.20), the codes disagree substantially with respect to simulated bathymetries (r = 0.49 ± 0.31). We relate these discrepancies to differences in the codes' assumptions. Results were configuration specific, i.e. codes that perform well for a given channel configuration do not necessarily perform well with higher or lower sinuosity configurations. Finally, limited correlation is found between accuracy and code complexity; the inclusion of algorithms that explicitly account for the effects of local bed slope and channel curvature effects on transport magnitude and direction does not guarantee accuracy. The range of solutions obtained from the evaluated codes emphasizes the need for carefully considering the choice of code. We recommend the creation of a central repository providing universal validation cases and documentation of recognized fluvial codes in commonly studied fluvial settings. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reach-scale suspended sediment balance downstream from dams in a large Mediterranean river

Abstract

This paper presents a reach-scale sediment balance of a large impounded Mediterranean river (the lower Ebro, 1998–2008). Multi-temporal sediment storage and the influence of floods and tributaries on the sediment load were examined using continuous discharge and turbidity records. The mean annual suspended sediment load at the reach outlet (Xerta) is 0.12?×?10⁶ t, corroborating previous results. Suspended sediment concentrations were low (SSC_mean?=?13 mg L^-1), attaining a maximum of 274 mg L^-1. Erosion processes (channel-scour, bank erosion) are dominant, and net export of sediment occurs over the long term. Unexpectedly, ephemeral tributaries were found to contribute significantly: sediment delivered during torrential events attained 5% of the Ebro annual load, and was even larger than that in flushing flows. Overall, most of the suspended sediment load is transported by floods (up to 65% in some years). The results constitute basic information to underpin current management actions aiming to achieve the sustainability of the riverine and deltaic system.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor D. Hughes

Citation Tena, A., Batalla, R.J. and Vericat, D., 2012. Reach-scale suspended sediment balance downstream from dams in a large Mediterranean river. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (5), 831–849.     

Modelling suspended sediment concentration and load in a transport‐limited alluvial gully in northern Queensland,Australia

Alluvial gullies are often formed in dispersible sodic soils along steep banks of incised river channels. Field data collected by Shellberg et al. (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 38: 1765–1778, 2013) from a gully outlet in northern Australia showed little hysteresis between water discharge and fine (<63 µm) and coarse (>63 µm) suspended sediment, indicating transport‐limited rather than source‐limited conditions. The major source of the fine (silt/clay) component was the sodic soils of upstream gully scarps, and the coarser (sand) component was sourced locally from channel bed material. In this companion paper at the same study site, a new method was developed for combining the settling velocity characteristics of these two sediment source components to estimate the average settling velocity of the total suspended sediment. This was compared to the analysis of limited sediment samples collected during flood conditions. These settling velocity data were used in the steady‐state transport limit theory of Hairsine and Rose (Water Resources Research 28: 237–243, 245–250, 1992) that successfully predicted field data of concentrations and loads at a cross‐section, regardless of the complexity of transport‐limited upstream sources (sheet erosion, scalds, rills, gullies, mass failure, bank and bed erosion, other disturbed areas). The analysis required calibration of a key model parameter, the fraction of total stream power (F ≈ 0.025) that is effective in re‐entraining sediment. Practical recommendations are provided for the prediction of sediment loads from other alluvial gullies in the region with similar hydrogeomorphic conditions, using average stream power efficiency factors for suspended silt/clay (F_w ≈ 0.016) and sand (F_s ≈ 0.038) respectively, but with no requirement for field data on sediment concentrations. Only basic field data on settling velocity characteristics from soil samples, channel geometry measurements, estimates of water velocity and discharge, and associated error margins are needed for transport limit theory predictions of concentration and load. This theory is simpler than that required in source‐limited situations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bed material transport estimate in large gravel‐bed rivers using the virtual velocity approach

This paper reports on a first attempt of using the virtual velocity approach to assess sediment mobility and transport in two wide and complex gravel‐bed rivers of northern Italy. Displacement length and virtual velocity of spray‐painted tracers were measured in the field. Also, the thickness of the sediment active layer during floods was measured using scour chains and post‐flood morphological changes as documented by repeated survey of channel cross‐sections. The effects of eight and seven floods were studied on the Tagliamento and Brenta Rivers, where 259 and 277 spray‐painted areas were surveyed, respectively. In the Tagliamento River 36% of the spray‐painted areas experienced partial transport, whereas in the Brenta River this accounted for 20%. Whereas, full removal/gravel deposition was observed on 37% and 26% of these areas on the Tagliamento and Brenta Rivers, respectively. The mean displacement length of particles, the thickness of the active layer and the extent of partial transport are well correlated with the dimensionless shear stress. The virtual velocity approach allowed calculation of bed material transport over a wide range of flood magnitudes. Annual coarse sediment transport was calculated up to 150 for the Tagliamento, and 30 × 10³  m³ yr^?1 for the Brenta. The outcomes of this work highlight the relevance of partial transport condition, as it could represent more than 70% of the total bed material transported during low‐magnitude floods, and up to 40% for near‐bankfull events. Results confirm that bed material load tends to be overestimated by traditional formulas. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variability of shallow overland flow velocity and soil aggregate transport observed with digital videography

Field experiments at Tiramoana station 30 km north of Christchurch, New Zealand using an erosion plot 16·5 m long, 0·6 m wide, and with a slope of 14–14·5° on rendzina soil aimed to measure the variability of flow velocity and of soil aggregates transport rate in shallow overland flow. Discharge/cross‐section area ratio was used to estimate mean velocity, and high‐speed digital video camera and image analysis provided information about flow and sediment transport variability. Six flow runs with 0·5–3·0 L s^?1 discharges were supercritical with Froude numbers close to or more than 1. Mean flow velocity followed Poiseuille law, float numbers were more than 1·5 and hydraulic resistance was an inverse proportional function of the Reynolds number, which is typical for laminar flows. Hence actual velocity varied through time significantly and the power spectrum was of ‘red‐noise’, which is typical for turbulent flow. Sediment transport rates had even higher variability, and soil aggregates transport was a compound Poisson process. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A multilinear discrete Nash-cascade model for stage-hydrograph routing in compound river channels

ABSTRACT

Stream gauge-based information is the foundation for many hydrological applications in a river basin including the aquatic-habitat conservation. A simple two-parameter model for routing streamflow depth (alternatively, stream–stage) hydrographs and estimating corresponding discharge hydrographs in river channels is proposed using the multilinear approach, based on Nash-type discrete-cascade model. The applicability of this model is investigated by extending its framework to the realm of compound cross-section trapezoidal channels for both in-bank and overbank flows by using 20 flood events of the Tiber River in the Umbria region of Central Italy, and subsequently comparing the simulated results with the corresponding simulations of the HEC-RAS (Hydrologic Engineering Center – River Analysis System) hydrodynamic model and observed flow depth hydrographs. The field application, comparative study, and uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the results demonstrate that the proposed multilinear discrete Nash-cascade stage-hydrograph (MDNS) routing model has the potential for routing floods in real-world rivers and canal irrigation systems, especially in operational mode.     

Modelling hyperconcentrated flow in the Yellow River

A large amount of the total sediment load in the Chinese Yellow River is transported during hyperconcentrated floods. These floods are characterized by very high suspended sediment concentrations and rapid morphological changes with alternating sedimentation and erosion in the main channel, and persistent sedimentation on the floodplain. However, the physical mechanisms driving these hyperconcentrated floods are still poorly understood. Numerical modelling experiments of these floods reveal that sedimentation is largely caused by large vertical concentration gradients, both in the channel during the rising stage of the flood, as well as on the floodplains, during a later stage of the flood. These vertical concentration gradients are large because the turbulent mixing rates are reduced by the increased sediment‐induced density gradients, resulting in a positive feedback mechanism that produces high deposition rates. Erosion prevails when the sediment is largely held in suspension due to hindered settling, and is strengthened by the reduced wetted cross‐section caused by massive sedimentation on the floodplain. Observed patterns of erosion and sedimentation during these floods can be qualitatively reproduced with a numerical model in which sediment‐induced density effects and hindered settling are included. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Well-balanced numerical modelling of non-uniform sediment transport in alluvial rivers

The last two decades have witnessed the development and application of well-balanced numerical models for shallow flows in natural rivers.However,until now there have been no such models for flows with non-uniform sediment transport.This paper presents a 1D well-balanced model to simulate flows and non-capacity transport of non-uniform sediment in alluvial rivers.The active layer formulation is adopted to resolve the change of bed sediment composition.In the framework of the finite volume Slope Llmiter Centred(SLIC) scheme,a surface gradient method is incorporated to attain well-balanced solutions to the governing equations.The proposed model is tested against typical cases with irregular topography,including the refilling of dredged trenches,aggradation due to sediment overloading and flood flow due to landslide dam failure.The agreement between the computed results and measured data is encouraging.Compared to a non-well-balanced model,the well-balanced model features improved performance in reproducing stage,velocity and bed deformation.It should find general applications for non-uniform sediment transport modelling in alluvial rivers,especially in mountain areas where the bed topography is mostly irregular.     

Quantifying geological uncertainty for flow and transport modeling in multi-modal heterogeneous formations

In this work, we address the problem of characterizing the heterogeneity and uncertainty of hydraulic properties for complex geological settings. Hereby, we distinguish between two scales of heterogeneity, namely the hydrofacies structure and the intrafacies variability of the hydraulic properties. We employ multiple-point geostatistics to characterize the hydrofacies architecture. The multiple-point statistics are borrowed from a training image that is designed to reflect the prior geological conceptualization. The intrafacies variability of the hydraulic properties is represented using conventional two-point correlation methods, more precisely, spatial covariance models under a multi-Gaussian spatial law. We address the different levels and sources of uncertainty in characterizing the subsurface heterogeneity, and explore their effect on groundwater flow and transport predictions. Typically, uncertainty is assessed by way of many images, termed realizations, of a fixed statistical model. However, in many cases, sampling from a fixed stochastic model does not adequately represent the space of uncertainty. It neglects the uncertainty related to the selection of the stochastic model and the estimation of its input parameters. We acknowledge the uncertainty inherent in the definition of the prior conceptual model of aquifer architecture and in the estimation of global statistics, anisotropy, and correlation scales. Spatial bootstrap is used to assess the uncertainty of the unknown statistical parameters. As an illustrative example, we employ a synthetic field that represents a fluvial setting consisting of an interconnected network of channel sands embedded within finer-grained floodplain material. For this highly non-stationary setting we quantify the groundwater flow and transport model prediction uncertainty for various levels of hydrogeological uncertainty. Results indicate the importance of accurately describing the facies geometry, especially for transport predictions.