Linear stability analysis of sediment-laden planar turbulent jets in shallow waters

Abstract

When a river debouches into a shallow receiving basin, it behaves as a sediment-laden shallow jet which plays a key role in the subsequent sediment transport and morphological evolution at the river mouth. A linear stability analysis that directly incorporates the effect of the presence of suspended sediment on the hydrodynamic instability of shallow jets was performed in this study. The sediment effect was accounted for using a two-way coupling. The onset of the instability was found to be generally insensitive to the addition of moderate quantities of suspended sediment particles. However, an eigenfunction analysis indicated that the nonlinear development of the instabilities may indeed be affected by the presence of sediment. The results of this study have important implications for estuarine and deltaic geomorphology, and can inform delta restoration projects such as artificial diversion to achieve maximum land building potential.