Transport characteristics of non-cohesive sediment with different hydrological durations and sediment transport formulas

Abstract

River sediment transport is an important global environmental issue, for it leads to waterway sedimentation, ecological degradation, and river geomorphologic evolution, its quantification is of the highest importance for river and watershed management. However, it remains unclear what the applicability of different sediment transport formulas in sediment transport process, and what the characteristics of non-cohesive sediment transport processes with different hydrological durations. This study developed a two-dimensional (2D) surface water Flow Model (FM) coupled with a Sediment Transport (ST) model in the MIKE 21 modelling system. The characteristic difference on simulated non-cohesive sediment transport under different sediment concentrations, hydrological durations, and sediment transport formulas were quantified by calculating the bed load, suspended load, and bed level change. Results indicated that the bed load and suspended load using the Engelund and Fredsøe formula were significantly lower than the Van Rijn formula for individual rainfall simulation scenarios. With the increase in peak flow, both suspended load and bed load first increased and then decreased. In the long-term duration simulations, high sediment concentrations were accompanied by higher bed load and lower suspension load for the Engelund and Fredsøe formula, but by lower bed load and suspension load for the Van Rijn formula. The high sediment concentrations resulted in a higher erosion rate, and low sediment concentrations resulted in a higher deposition rate. The two formulas had a high degree of consistency in seasonality and the bed level changes in spring and summer were mainly sedimentary, while in autumn and winter they were mainly erosive. The Engelund and Fredsøe formula produced high riverbed erosion capacity at low discharge, but the Van Rijn formula had high erosion capacity at high discharge.