ON THE VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION

The problem of sediment concentration distribution in a vertical for channel and pipe flows is studied in this paper. Considering the variation of the vertical component of the fluctuation velocity v as an independent variable, two types of sediment concentration distribution can be derived. However, only one type of distribution is commonly quoted while the other one rarely reported. In this paper explanation for such phenomena is given and conditions for the occurrence of both types are also discussed.     

Measurement of total dissolved phosphorus in small volumes of iron rich interstitial water

It is shown that sorption of orthophosphate to iron compounds, formed during persulfate digestion, can cause a significant underestimation of total dissolved phosphorus in interstitial waters rich in iron and poor in phosphorus. Labelling the samples with carrier free³²PO₄ before digestion allows to correct for these losses.     

Hydraulic conditions for rill incision under simulated rainfall: A laboratory experiment

A series of controlled laboratory experiments were conducted in order to obtain precise data on the hydraulic and sediment transport conditions during rill formation. Tests were carried out using a crusting-prone binary mixed soil in a 15 m long flume at an average slope of 0·087 under simulated rainfall. Rainfall intensities varied from 30–35 mm h^?1 and developed about 70 per cent of the kinetic energy of natural rainfall of similar intensity. Runoff and sediment discharge measured at the downstream weir were strongly influenced by rill forming processes. Essentially, rill incision reduced runoff discharge as a result of increased percolation in rill channels but increased sediment discharge. Secondary entrainment processes, such as bank collapse, also increased sediment discharge at the weir. Knickpoint bifurcation and colluvial deposition, however, decreased sediment discharge. Rills always developed through the formation of a knickpoint. The critical condition for knickpoint initiation was the development of supercritical flow and waves which mould and incise the bed. Prior smoothing of the soil surface by entrainment and redistribution of sediment facilitated supercritical flow. Statistical analysis showed that hydraulic and sediment transport conditions differed significantly in rilled and unrilled flows. The relationship between sediment discharge, rill erosion, and flow hydraulics was found to be nonlinear, conforming to a standard power function in the form y = ax^b. Rills were also associated with significantly increased sediment transport capacities. However, rill initiation was not clearly defined by any specific hydraulic threshold. Instead, rilled and unrilled flows were separated by zones of transition within which both types of flow occur.     

Topographic changes associated with coastal dune blowouts at island beach state park,New Jersey

Topographic changes in two blowouts located in Island Beach State Park, New Jersey, USA were monitored over the winter of 1981-1982. Elevation changes were measured with erosion pins, and sediment traps placed at comparable locations in each blowout monitored the amount of sand moved by the wind. Discrete wind events were identified from regional data, and morphological data for the intervals with the highest onshore and offshore wind speeds are examined in detail. Vegetation is the primary influence on the development of the two blowouts. Blowout A is characterized by eroding sidewalls, a stable base, and an accreting blowout rim. High rates of sediment transport occur through the blowout throat which results in accretion on the vegetated rim. This blowout is an active sediment transfer system. Vegetation causes a large amount of deposition in the throat of blowout B. As vegetation was buried over the winter, the area of deposition migrated inland. Sidewall erosion also occurred in blowout B. Little change was recorded on the blowout rim. Blowout B is a recovering system where sediment is delivered to the blowout floor from the beach by onshore winds and from the blowout rim by offshore winds where it is stabilized by vegetation. The development of foredune blowouts is governed largely by vegetation cover on the dune crest and by sidewall erosion during offshore and onshore winds. Blowout recovery depends on vegetation growth and sediment deposition in the throat, and on the role of the sidewalls as sources of sediment which is deposited elsewhere within the system. Foredune blowouts are dynamic systems in which positive feedbacks in sediment availability and vegetation growth lead to a cycle of development and closure.     

Accuracy of two sampling methods used to estimate sediment concentrations in runoff from soil-loss plots

The use of a bottle sampler and a soil pipette to quickly and accurately sample soil-water mixtures of known sediment concentrations was tested. Both devices failed to sample adequately soil-water mixtures containing 1–187 gl^?1 of solid particles. Poor sampling ability was attributed to rapid settlement of larger particles and to innate deficiencies in the sediment trapping ability of the samplers. These sampling devices should not be used to estimate sediment loads in runoff from soil-loss plots, and erosion data from plot studies which have used a sediment sampling procedure should be treated with caution.     

Test of scale modelling of sediment transport in steady unidirectional flow

In two steady uniform flows at different physical scales in a small open channel, with variables characterizing flow, sediment, and fluid adjusted for dynamic similitude by means of four dimensionless modelling parameters (a Reynolds number, a Froude number, a density ratio, and a length ratio), measured frequency distributions of height, spacing, and migration rate of current ripples were almost identical when scaled, thus verifying that exact Reynolds-Froude modelling of loose-sediment transport is valid and workable. Modelling should be valid as well for a wide range of other transport conditions in the same kind of flow, because no additional kinds of forces or effects would be present in transport of loose grains in modes other than as ripples. In scaled-down modelling, a scale ratio of 2.5 is attainable without recourse to exotic fluids by use of water at 85°C to model natural flows at 10°C.     

Pollution history of the savannah river estuary and comparisons with Baltic Sea pollution history

The sediment record, as revealed in sediment cores, can be used to reconstruct the history of contaminant input into estuaries. The basic assumptions are that contaminant inputs equilibrate relatively rapidly with sediment inputs and that the sediment column represents a continuous sequence of sediment and associated contaminant accumulation. With radiochemical chronologies, it is possible to date sediments over a period corresponding to about five half-lives (100 years for ²¹⁰Pb). In our study we reconstruct the pollution history of the Savannah Estuary, which is a typical estuary in the South Atlantic Bight. A series of cores were taken in the estuary, followed by the analysis of the cores for a variety of organic and inorganic contaminants. Ages were assigned to different depth intervals by the use of two radiotracers, ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs. The major pesticides found were an isomer of DDT and dieldrin. The peak in their concentrations (1967) correlated with peak use of these pesticides before their use was banned. Between 1959 and 1962, there was more input of anthropogenic PAHs than before and after this period. The metals which showed significant changes in the cores include mercury, lead and chromium. Chromium reached a maximum during the late 1950s, followed by a decrease in the late 1960s. This chromium peak coincided with the initial operation of a titanium dioxide pigment plant in the Savannah Estuary. An interesting aspect of the study, which has been noted by many pollution history studies, was the decrease in the concentration of anthropogenic chemicals during the past two decades, suggesting that pollution controls have been effective, even while industrial and population growth was taking place.Similar studies have been carried out to reconstruct the historical record of contamination in the Baltic Sea. Concentrations of metals were found to increase after 1880 (industrial revolution in northern Europe). PCBs peaked in concentration in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, while DDT peaked in the 1960s. The Baltic experienced a major input of nutrients (N and P) after 1965 resulting from heavy use of fertilizers in this region.     

The Red River sediment budget in the Yinggehai and Qiongdongnan basins,northwestern South China Sea,and its tectonic implications

ABSTRACT

The rapid uplift of the Tibetan plateau, the intense movement of the Ailao Shan-Red River Shear Zone (ARSZ), and the related climate change during the Cenozoic Indo-Asian collision have been widely studied; however, their timings varied considerably due to different data and methods used. As these events have been documented in the Red River sediment that came from the eastern Tibetan plateau and the Red River region and eventually deposited in the offshore Yinggehai and Qiongdongnan basins, here these events can be explored by calculating and analysing the Red River sediment budget, especially in the Qiongdongnan basin based on dense seismic profiles and wells. Results show that the Red River sediment mainly accumulated in the Yinggehai basin and the west part of the Qiongdongnan basin, and there are three sedimentary accumulation peaks in the Red River sediment budget during ~29.5–21, ~15.5–10.5, and ~5.5–0 Ma. By further comparing with previous studies on the timings of these events, it is inferred that the first sedimentary peak, prior to the onset of the monsoon intensification (~22 Ma), was probably driven by an intense left-lateral movement of the ARSZ in ~29.5–21 Ma. The second peak (~15.5–10.5 Ma), however, reflects a rapid uplift of the Tibetan plateau after the cessation of the left-lateral strike slip of the ARSZ. The third peak (~5.5–0 Ma) is most likely linked with a right-lateral movement of the ARSZ and the related climate change. Overall, the Red River sediment budget from the offshore Yinggehai and Qiongdongnan basins provides an important constraint on the timings of these tectonic events as well as the related climate change during the Cenozoic Indo-Asian collision.