Defining the threshold wind velocity for moistened sediments

Abstract

The moisture of surface sediments is one of the most significant factors governing the initiation of particle movement by the wind and hence the aeolian transport rate. This paper develops an equation for the threshold shear velocity of moistened sediments based more soundly on physics by means of the moment balance method, taking account of the interparticle cohesive forces produced by moisture. The equation relates threshold shear velocity directly to moisture content and contains three simple coefficients that need be determined from experiments. The threshold equation for moistened sediments basically follows Bagnold's threshold equation for loose, dry sediments but with a proportionality coefficient that accounts for the effect of moisture. Previously published data on the threshold shear velocities of moistened sediments from wind tunnel tests are used to determine the coefficients contained in the threshold equation, and it proves that the new equation describes the threshold velocities of moistened sediments reasonably well. Comparing the threshold shear velocity predicted using the new equation with the results of Belly's and Hotta et al.'s empirical equations reveals that the predicted results differed greatly. These differences can be attributed to differences in the definition of threshold velocity and moisture content in the physical and chemical properties of the sediment samples and in the experimental methods. Further theoretical and experimental investigation is required to fully understand the effects of sediment moisture content on threshold wind velocity. We also suggest that methodological improvement itself is also a topic of future research.