High Concentration Suspensions Under Strong Tidal Flows
Abstract
An experiment investigating the influence of high-concentration suspensions of fine sediments (fluid muds) on a quasi-steady flow was carried out in the Petitcodiac River, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada in August 2006. Concurrent measurements of fluid properties (salinity, temperature, density), suspended-sediment concentration, current velocity and shear were made throughout the water column over portions of several tidal cycles. The Petitcodiac was chosen because of consistently high suspended-sediment concentrations (0.5- >200 g/L) and large tidal range (>4 m) producing strong current velocities (> 1.5 m/s). Thus the Peticodiac serves as an ideal natural flume for examining the behavior of muddy suspensions under both accelerating and decelerating flows. Instrumentation included a profiling package with paired electromagnetic current meters mounted 0.6 m apart, a CTD, and an Optical Backscatterance Sensor with a pump system for in situ calibrations. Approximately 1.5 hours after the passage of the tidal bore and a fully mixed turbulent flow, the water column begins to stratify and a high concentration bottom layer forms persisting through the ensuing ebb. Measured suspended-sediment concentrations reached 286 g/L at the bottom and low shear rates of 0.13 s-1 in the upper water column increased to ~0.5 s-1 through the lutocline 1 m above the bed, and decreased to approximately 0 within the fluid mud. Analysis is in progress and the data set provides an excellent means to test threshold conditions regarding suppression of turbulence by sediment-induced stratification and the carrying capacity of turbulent flows.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006AGUFMOS22B..04K
- Keywords:
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- 3022 Marine sediments: processes and transport;
- 4217 Coastal processes;
- 4558 Sediment transport (1862)