Sediment Entrainment Research Articles

Periphyton removal flows determined by sediment entrainment thresholds

Periphyton (benthic algae) forms the base of the lotic food web but, under particular conditions, can grow to nuisance levels. River managers need to understand under what conditions the rivers might develop nuisance periphyton biomass in order to set water quality and quantity limits and support healthy ecosystems. Factors that promote periphyton growth (e.g., light, temperature, nutrients) and the frequency of flows that remove periphyton (the periphyton removal flow) have long been recognized as primary controls on periphyton abundance. Predicting differences in periphyton removal flows (PRFs) between rivers has remained a challenge. The main objective of this study is to investigate how bed sediment mobility affects periphyton removal and whether it can be used to better predict PRFs at unmonitored sites with acceptable levels of certainty.We calculated the sediment based PRFs at 113 periphyton monitoring sites in rivers of different sizes and different environmental conditions by finding, for a range of particle sizes, the entrainment flow that produced the strongest correlation between periphyton biomass (measured by Chlorophyll a, chl a) and days since the last exceedance of that flow. We then grouped the monitoring sites based on the size of sediment mobile at the PRF and identified a suite of environmental variables that best distinguished these groups using a discriminatory function analysis. We then predicted PRFs at unvisited sites using the same river groupings and associated sediment-based flow metrics. Sediment-based PRFs were able to be identified at 93 of the 113 monitoring sites. Across these sites, the variance in chl a explained by the sediment-based PRF (R2) ranged from 0.37 to 0.88 and averaged 0.58. 94% of these rivers with periphyton data were successfully discriminated into three periphyton removal flow groups, together with a non-identified group, by including 33 out of 44 tested environmental variables (e.g., temperature, nutrient concentrations, rainfall, width). The groups were then used to predict sediment-based periphyton removal flows for unvisited sites across a broad range of conditions. The value of our analysis lies in the ability to predict a range of sediment-based periphyton removal flows using only channel slope, substrate composition and wetted width. While acknowledging that sediment mobility is only one of several mechanistic controls on periphyton, this finding nonetheless offers a simple means to identify the range of sediment-based periphyton removal flows in a river reach, which can help inform river managers about the potential effects of changes in river flows on periphyton chl a.

Tsunami deposits and recurrence on a typhoon-prone coast of northern Taiwan from the last millennium

Widely known for its hazardous history, Taiwan holds valuable records of NW Pacific tsunamis and typhoons. Despite the similarity between tsunami and typhoon deposits, historical accounts enabled the identification of the 1867 tsunami deposit on the northern coast through matching with the record-setting inundation. However, the identification of prehistoric tsunami deposits has been hindered by severe sediment reworking and post-depositional changes produced by the typhoon-prone, tropical, and humid climate. In this study, we investigated the upper Holocene facies and their sediment sources and radiocarbon ages on distal floodplains and rocky backshores of the northern coast, where sediment reworking is less intense. Four decimetre-thick gravelly layers were identified, intercalated with fluvial mud and colluvium. The gravelly layers are composed of beach-derived quartz-rich sand and rounded gravels of the sedimentary basement rocks, longshore-drift andesite and stranded pumice. The remarkable layer thickness, gravel size, and quartz richness were determined to have endured post-depositional changes. The event layers are sharp-based, matrix-supported, and poorly sorted and have recorded scouring, sediment entrainment and rapid fallout of suspension-rich turbulent flows that probably originated with tsunamis. The event layers occur 0.5–0.8 km inland and 3–11.5 m above sea level, matching the 1867 tsunami inundation and wave height, respectively. Radiocarbon dating tied the event layers to the 1867 tsunami and three prehistoric events that occurred in the periods: 1545 to 1810, 1293 to 1414 and 1090 to 1235, representing a recurrence interval of 83–436 years over the last millennium.

Effects of Meretrix meretrix on sediment thresholds of erosion and deposition on an intertidal flat

Meretrix meretrix (M. meretrix) are commonly found on tidal flats along the global coastlines. They are believed to potentially affect the sedimentary processes and thus morphological dynamics on the tidal flat. Their effects on sediment erosion and deposition, however, are not well quantitatively understood. To fill this gap, we conducted an integrated synchronous field investigation of hydrodynamic, sediment properties, and macrobenthos at two nearby tidal flats, one with abundant M. meretrix and the other without. In addition, seasonal comparison between summer and winter for the M. meretrix abundant site, where there was much less M. meretrix in winter than in summer, was conducted to further examine the influence of M. meretrix on critical value for the initiation of sediment entrainment. The results show that the critical shear stress for erosion (τe) in the M. meretrix abundant site was lower than the bare tidal flat by ~23%. Differently, for the critical shear stress for deposition (τd), the value at the M. meretrix abundant site was greater than that at the bare tidal flat by ~30%. Overall, we concluded that the existence of M. meretrix tends to enhance both the erodibility of the sea bed and the deposition of suspended sediment in the water column. It is suggested that the effect of macrobenthos on sediment erosion/deposition should not be neglected when predicting long-term morphological changes of an intertidal flat.

Isotopic and sedimentary signature of megathrust ruptures along the Japan subduction margin

The M9.3 2004 Sumatra and M9.0 2011 Tohoku earthquakes and tsunamis had devastating consequences for the adjacent heavily populated coasts. They had large shallow coseismic slip that reached the trench, which is thought to be a key factor in generating the huge tsunamis. The sedimentary record contains unique spatial and temporal information on the effects of megathrust earthquakes. It can provide a better understanding of earthquake-related tectono-sedimentary processes and of the earthquakes themselves. We present new results obtained from high-resolution multibeam bathymetry, subbottom profiles acquired with Parasound and ten, 10 m long piston cores recently collected from the Japan Trench margin during R/V Sonne SO251 expedition. We identify the 2011 Tohoku event-deposit extending for ~250 km along the Japan Trench basins from the enrichment and concentrations of short-lived radioisotopes (excess) xs210Pb, 137Cs and 134Cs in all ten cores. The high enrichment of xs210Pb points to surficial sediment remobilization as the main source. In three cores from the northern, central and southern segments of the Japan Trench, for the first time, we identify sediment remobilization by its 87/86Sr, εNd and Pb isotope signatures and the composition and texture of the sediment. With this new approach, we fingerprint older sedimentation events, potentially linked to earthquakes and infer processes responsible for their deposition. Thick, acoustically transparent and homogeneous units we name “homogenites”, characterize these event deposits. Physical, geochemical and acoustic properties link homogenites to the 2011 Tohoku and previous earthquakes. We propose a multi-stage entrainment and depositional process related with both the high frequency and the exceptionally large low frequency and long duration motions expected from ruptures of the shallow megathrust below the compliant outer upper-plate. These large long-period motions could propagate along the outer upper plate beyond the rupture zone and could generate widespread entrainment of surficial sediment.

Modeling the progressive entrainment of bed sediment by viscous debris flows using the three-dimensional SC-HBP-SPH method

Recent reports and experimental data closely indicate that bed-sediment entrainment by debris flows strongly impacts the evolution of the topographic signature of a valley. However, it is difficult to constrain the physics of the entrainment process in numerical models. The challenge is deeply embedded in the shape of the velocity profile, whose knowledge is fundamental for estimating debris-flow basal shear stress exerting on bed sediment. Most two-dimensional models are restricted because the depth-integrated shallow water assumption is problematic in this aspect. One alternative is to combine a three-dimensional, particle-based numerical model with a progressive entrainment law. In this paper, we propose a three-dimensional, surface cell (SC)-based smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) model for simulating bed-sediment entrainment by viscous debris flows. The dynamic behavior of a debris flow is simulated by the open-source DualSPHysics scheme, into which the Herschel-Bulkley-Papanastasiou (HBP) rheology model is incorporated. Subsequently, the bed surface is meshed, over which the particles belonging to a certain cell at each time step are identified to represent the basal velocity and flow depth using a novel SC-based algorithm. With the extracted velocities of these basal particles, the sediment entrainment rate of each cell can be estimated using the optimized progressive entrainment law. The proposed SC-HBP-SPH method is tested by means of a full-scale flume experiment carried out in a previous study. The results show that the proposed model can adequately describe and reproduce the complex dynamic process of bed-sediment entrainment by overriding debris flows.

Influence of surface roughness of dune bedforms on flow and turbulence characteristics

The current paper investigates the flow and turbulence characteristics over dune bedforms by means of laboratory experiments, where spatially dense and temporally high frequency velocity measurements were done. Although similar studies are available in the literature, the focus and novelty of the current study is to assess the influence of surface roughness of the dune bedforms on the nearbed flow. For direct comparison, two different surface roughness heights over idealized, fixed-shaped, high-angled dune bedforms were tested; one with a hydraulically-smooth surface, and the other with a fully-rough surface. Spatial variation of time-averaged flow as well as turbulence statistics were examined, which was complemented by streamline plots and spectral analyses. The results are interpreted from sediment entrainment and sediment transport points of view. The results show that increased dune surface roughness reduces the nearbed flow velocity, but increases the flow velocities at upper regions. The upward directed flow near the dune crests becomes stronger in the case of smooth surface, while the re-attachment point moves further downstream compared to the rough wall case. It is concluded that the roughness of the dune surface affects the nearbed flow and turbulence characteristics qualitatively and quantitatively, which is shown to have direct consequences on sediment entrainment characteristics.

Flow substrate interactions in aggrading and degrading submarine channels

ABSTRACT Connecting real-time measurements of current–bed interactions to the temporal evolution of submarine channels can be extremely challenging in natural settings. We present a suite of physical experiments that offer insight into the spectrum of interactions between turbidity currents and their channels, from i) detachment-limited erosion to ii) transport-limited erosion to iii) pure deposition. In all three cases channel sinuosity influenced patterns of erosion and deposition; the outsides of bends displayed the highest erosion rates in the first two cases but showed the highest deposition rates in the third. We connect the evolution of these channels to the turbulence of the near-bed boundary layer. In the erosional experiments the beds of both channels roughened through time, developing erosional bedforms or trains of ripples. Reynolds estimates of boundary-layer roughness indicate that, in both erosional cases, the near-bed boundary layer roughened from smooth or transitionally rough to rough, whereas the depositional channel appears to have remained consistently smooth. Our results suggest that, in the absence of any changes from upstream, erosion in submarine channels is a self-reinforcing mechanism whereby developing bed roughness increases turbulence at the boundary layer, thereby inhibiting deposition, promoting sediment entrainment, and enhancing channel relief; deposition occurs in submarine channels when the boundary layer remains smooth, promoting aggradation and loss of channel relief.

Using a PIV Measurement System to Study the Occurrence of Bursting in the Flow Over a Movable Scour Hole Downstream of a Groundsill

Generally, hydraulic structures are installed along with rivers in Taiwan to prevent erosion. The groundsill is one of the most common structures to protect the underlying riverbed. However, the occurrence of bursting during the process of scouring can intensify the disturbance of sediment in the bed, sometimes even causing hydraulic structures to collapse. This paper aimed to study the mechanisms of bursting, the effects of bursting, and the scouring exceedance probability of sediment movement. To study this topic, a particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure the hydraulic characteristics of a scour hole under different flow conditions. The results showed that, firstly, the bursting and the sediment entrainment rate increased with time at the beginning. Secondly, when bursting occurred at the beginning stage of scouring, the averaged velocity of main flow was reduced by about 30% and the thickness of the riverbed was deepened by about 20%. Moreover, when scouring time was 15 min, at the location of maximum scouring depth, all the experimental groups carried the proximity values of the scouring exceedance probability that stuck to a range from 35% to 53% at the bursting stage. Therefore, the scouring exceedance probability of the bursting of the maximum scouring depth can be further applied to designs and to protect the foundation of hydraulic structures.

A 50,000-year record of lake-level variations and overflow from Owens Lake, eastern California, USA

A continuous lake-level curve was constructed for Owens Lake, eastern California by integrating lake-core data and shoreline geomorphology with new wind-wave and sediment entrainment modeling of lake-core sedimentology. This effort enabled refinement of the overflow history and development of a better understanding of the effects of regional and global climate variability on lake levels of the paleo-Owens River system during the last 50,000 years. The elevations of stratigraphic sites, plus lake bottom and spillway positions were corrected for vertical tectonic deformation using a differential fault-block model to estimate the absolute hydrologic change of the watershed-lake system. New results include 14C dating of mollusk shells in shoreline deposits, plus post-IR-IRSL dating of a suite of five beach ridges and OSL dating of spillway alluvial and deltaic deposits in deep boreholes. Geotechnical data show the overflow area is an entrenched channel that had erodible sills composed of unconsolidated fluvial-deltaic and alluvial sediment at elevations of ∼1113–1165 m above mean sea level. Owens Lake spilled most of the time at or near minimum sill levels, controlled by a bedrock sill at ∼1113 m. Nine major transgressions at ∼40.0, 38.7, 23.3, 19.3, 15.6, 13.8, 12.8, 11.6, and 10.6 ka reached levels ∼10–45 m above the bedrock sill. Several major regressions at or below the bedrock sill from 36.9 to 28.5 ka, and at ∼17.8, 12.9, and 10.4–8.8 ka indicate little to no overflow during these times. The latest period of overflow occurred ∼10–20 m above the bedrock sill from ∼8.4 to 6.4 ka that was followed by closed basin conditions after ∼6.4 ka. Previous lake core age-depth models were revised by accounting for sediment compaction and using no reservoir correction for open basin conditions, thereby reducing discrepancies between Owens Lake shoreline and lake-core proxy records. The integrated analysis provides a continuous 50 ka lake-level record of hydroclimate variability along the south-central Sierra Nevada that is consistent with other shoreline and speleothem records in the southwestern U.S.

Mapping rainstorm erosion associated with an individual storm from InSAR coherence loss validated by field evidence for the Atacama Desert

AbstractExtreme high‐magnitude and low‐frequency storm events in arid zones provide the necessary runoff to entrain sediments from source areas and therefore dictate the linkages between hillslopes and channels. Nevertheless, the erosive impact of large storms remains difficult to predict. Most of the uncertainty lies in the lack of topographic change maps associated with single hydro‐meteorological events. Consequently, event‐based erosion models are poorly constrained and their extrapolation over long time periods remains uncertain. In this study, a 15‐month Sentinel‐1A coherence time series, optical and field data are used to map the spatial patterns of erosion after the 5‐day storm occurred on March 2015, in the Atacama Desert. The coherence change detection (CCD) analysis suggests that temporal loss of coherence is related to variations in soil moisture, while permanent loss of coherence is related to modification of soil texture by erosion and sedimentation. Importantly, permanent loss of coherence is more apparent on gentle rather than steeper slopes, likely reflecting differences in regolith cover and thickness. These findings can contradict the landscape models predicting higher erosion on steeper hillslopes. The CCD technique represents a promising tool for analysing and modelling sediment connectivity in arid areas, giving a clear picture of the relation between sediment sources and sink pathways. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suspended sand concentration models under breaking waves: Evaluation of new and existing formulations

A total of 7 reference concentration (C0) models (6 existing and 1 newly proposed) were validated against 119 test cases from 4 recently published datasets collected under the LIP, CROSSTEX, SandT-Pro and SINBAD experimental studies. These models were evaluated for performance in different cross-shore regions: the shoaling zone, breaking (outer surf) zone and inner surf zone, under regular and irregular breaking wave conditions. In almost all existing C0 models, substantial under-prediction was found particularly around the wave plunging point (point at which breaking wave plunges and surface generated turbulent kinetic energy, TKE, is injected into the water column) where strong localised increases in C0 were observed. This strong increase in concentration was attributed to the large-scale breaking-generated turbulent vortices invading the wave bottom boundary layer (WBBL) and entraining dense clouds of sediment near the plunging point. Models that were directly or indirectly driven by local wave climate such as the local wave height (H), breaker height (Hb) or local water depth (d), were found to perform quite poorly in the breaking region under regular and irregular plunging breaker waves. Formulations that related C0 to the sand pickup rate (i.e. depending on exerted bed shear exceeding critical bed shear for entrainment) were adept in regions unaffected by external breaking-induced TKE (e.g. the shoaling zone) but could not account for the high levels of concentration observed at the plunging point. This is because these formulations were based on the implicit assumption that sediment entrainment is only induced by the local TKE generated by bed shear; not taking surface-generated breaking-induced TKE into account. This assumption was addressed in more recent studies, by including breaking-induced TKE into sediment pickup rate or reference concentration formulations. Though latest studies have shown promising relationships between near-bed TKE (kb) and reference concentration/sediment pickup, such formulations also face inherent limitations. These formulations are highly dependent on the accuracy of measured or modelled kb and are also sensitive to the magnitude of kb. For example, the magnitude of measured kb was found to vary by a factor of 1.1–1.3 between regular and irregular wave conditions, with kb being smaller under irregular wave conditions. This resulted in varied performance between datasets in kb-driven reference concentration formulations. The Froude-scaled TKE produced smaller deviations in magnitude of TKE between datasets, suggesting that it may be a more suitable driving parameter for reference concentration models than kb. A new reference concentration model, L19, was empirically derived from an inverse relationship observed between d and C0, and from the roller energy dissipation rate. The newly proposed L19 model shows good agreement with measured C0 (with RMSE ranging between 0.36 and 1.79 kg/m3 over the different datasets) in regular and irregular wave conditions, even at the plunging point where concentration is highest. The modified concentration profile [C(z)] equation also performs well, generally capturing the vertical concentration profile accurately throughout the whole water column.

Acoustic Observations of Kelvin‐Helmholtz Billows on an Estuarine Lutocline

AbstractKelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) instability plays an important role in turbulent mixing in deep oceans, coastal seas, and estuaries. Though widely observed and studied in thermohaline‐stratified waters, KH instability has only rarely been observed in sediment‐stratified environments. For the first time, we present direct observations of KH billows on an estuarine lutocline by combining echosounder images with velocity and density measurements. The interaction between velocity shear and the density stratification induced by suspended sediments initiated shear instabilities near the bed, indicated by gradient Richardson number (Ri) < 0.25 in the early stages of the observed billows. Once formed, the instabilities enhanced the vertical mixing of momentum, reducing vertical shear and elevating Ri. Linear instability analysis using measured velocity and density profiles well predicts the vertical location and spatial characteristics of the observed billows. These instabilities are believed to contribute to the vertical mixing, entrainment, and transport of estuarine and coastal sediments.

Cohesive river bank erosion mechanism under wave-current interaction: A flume study

The effect of hydrodynamic forces due to combined action of surface waves and current on the riverbank is critical to understand sediment entrainment, transport and bank line retreatment process. In understanding the temporal effect of turbulent structures under induced wave-current flow, a series of laboratory experiments were carried out. Micro-Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) and Ultrasonic Ranging System (URS) were used simultaneously for the measurement of velocity fluctuations and bank undercut depth increment. Modulation of the turbulent flow characteristics and the benefaction of turbulent bursting structures at the initiation of erosion process and before the failure of the cohesive bank due to undercut progression are discussed. The results show that velocity and Reynolds shear stress have direct dependence on the size and rate of the entrainment of cohesive aggregates from bank face. The effect of wave-current motion leads to an increase in shear stress at the lateral bank giving rise to erosion and transportation of sediment particles/aggregates. Quadrant analysis of the random velocity fluctuation under wave-current flow at the initiation of erosion process shows strong presence of ejection and sweep events. Findings from the present study may provide a better understanding on the design of cohesive bank erosion control measures.

Measurement and modelling of deep sea sediment plumes and implications for deep sea mining

Deep sea mining concerns the extraction of poly-metallic nodules, cobalt-rich crusts and sulphide deposits from the ocean floor. The exploitation of these resources will result in adverse ecological effects arising from the direct removal of the substrate and, potentially, from the formation of sediment plumes that could result in deposition of fine sediment on sensitive species or entrainment of sediment, chemicals and nutrients into over-lying waters. Hence, identifying the behaviour of deep-sea sediment plumes is important in designing mining operations that are ecologically acceptable. Here, we present the results of novel in situ deep sea plume experiments undertaken on the Tropic seamount, 300 nautical miles SSW of the Canary Islands. These plume experiments were accompanied by hydrographic and oceanographic field surveys and supported by detailed numerical modelling and high resolution video settling velocity measurements of the in situ sediment undertaken in the laboratory. The plume experiments involved the controlled formation of benthic sediment plumes and measurement of the plume sediment concentration at a specially designed lander placed at set distances from the plume origin. The experiments were used as the basis for validation of a numerical dispersion model, which was then used to predict the dispersion of plumes generated by full-scale mining. The results highlight that the extent of dispersion of benthic sediment plumes, resulting from mining operations, is significantly reduced by the effects of flocculation, background turbidity and internal tides. These considerations must be taken into account when evaluating the impact and extent of benthic sediment plumes.

Modeling the initiation of sediment motion under a wide range of flow conditions using a Geno-Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System method

The current study introduces a novel approach to estimate the incipient motion of sediments under a wide range of flow regimes by developing a fuzzy model with a fuzzy-band that refers to a transition from weak motion to general motion of sediment. The partial sediment entrainment is defined by fuzzy sets considering the uncertainty related to the individual ratio of inertia to viscous forces which is the definition of shear Reynolds number. In the current study, the Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System (Mamdani FIS) is used to develop a comprehensive fuzzy model of the incipient motion of sediment. The Mamdani FIS has a shortcoming regarding the training of the fuzzy model. To estimate the dimensionless shear stress, a new method is developed by combining a genetic algorithm with the fuzzy approach which is named the Geno-Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System (GMFIS) method. The performance of the GMFIS model is evaluated using experimental data by considering root mean square error (RMSE), Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency (CE), degree of robustness (Dr), and concordance coefficient (CC) as evaluation criteria. The GMFIS model performed very well based on the RMSE, CE, Dr, and CC values and satisfactorily represented the three types of incipient motion. Finally, a new range of fuzzy, dimensionless, critical shear stress values is established in all flow conditions from weak to general sediment entrainment.

Influence of Sediment Mobility on Universal von Kármán Coefficient k and Traversing Length of Eddy in Fluvial Streams

Sediment mobility in stream corroborates many significant mechanisms in terms of interactions of transported particles in the carrier fluid flows. In general, the sediment entrainment in stream refers to temporal and continual motion of non-cohesive grains. This phenomenon significantly influences the near-bed turbulent flow characteristics in streams. Laboratory experiments were conducted in a rectangular open-channel flume of 15 m long, 0.90 m wide and 0.75 m deep fitted with side glass walls and the study is concerned with the determination of von Karman coefficient with non-cohesive bed-load to strive the eddy traversing length, sizes and TKE dissipation rate close to the bed. Two modes of experimental conditions are considered: (1) immobile-bed with no sediment transport known as clear-water flows; and (2) continuous weak bed-load sediment transport, without bed-forms development refer to a mobile-bed flows. In both cases, the sediment beds should remain flat and hydraulically rough. The experimental result reveals that the von Karman coefficient goes down in the traditional log-law of wall in mobile-bed streams with respect to the flow over an immobile bed. A close observation in sediment mobility due to bed load transport shows the reduction in traversing length of an eddy and increment in near-bed eddy size. The increment in near-bed eddy sizes are attributed to the reduction in turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate close to the stream bed.

The Physics of Sediment Transport Initiation, Cessation, and Entrainment Across Aeolian and Fluvial Environments

AbstractPredicting the morphodynamics of sedimentary landscapes due to fluvial and aeolian flows requires answering the following questions: Is the flow strong enough to initiate sediment transport, is the flow strong enough to sustain sediment transport once initiated, and how much sediment is transported by the flow in the saturated state (i.e., what is the transport capacity)? In the geomorphological and related literature, the widespread consensus has been that the initiation, cessation, and capacity of fluvial transport, and the initiation of aeolian transport, are controlled by fluid entrainment of bed sediment caused by flow forces overcoming local resisting forces, whereas aeolian transport cessation and capacity are controlled by impact entrainment caused by the impacts of transported particles with the bed. Here the physics of sediment transport initiation, cessation, and capacity is reviewed with emphasis on recent consensus‐challenging developments in sediment transport experiments, two‐phase flow modeling, and the incorporation of granular physics' concepts. Highlighted are the similarities between dense granular flows and sediment transport, such as a superslow granular motion known as creeping (which occurs for arbitrarily weak driving flows) and system‐spanning force networks that resist bed sediment entrainment; the roles of the magnitude and duration of turbulent fluctuation events in fluid entrainment; the traditionally overlooked role of particle‐bed impacts in triggering entrainment events in fluvial transport; and the common physical underpinning of transport thresholds across aeolian and fluvial environments. This sheds a new light on the well‐known Shields diagram, where measurements of fluid entrainment thresholds could actually correspond to entrainment‐independent cessation thresholds.

Comparison of historical and modern river surveys reveal changes to waterhole characteristics in an Australian dryland river

Human activities are known to impact the physical template of river channels. These impacts can result from deliberate, direct modifications as well as via indirect processes linked to broadscale landscape change. This study examined changes in the physical template of the Barwon-Darling River, a dryland river in southeastern Australia. Historical longitudinal profiles from the late 1800s were compared with contemporary profiles derived from high-definition, side scanning sonar. Comparisons focused on characterising waterhole features as they are a critical biophysical component of dryland rivers. The use of historical data presented several challenges related to small sample size and suspected sampling bias in the historical survey. However, this study demonstrates that these issues are not insurmountable providing the limitations and uncertainties with the data are acknowledged and data analyses are limited to parameters that can distinguish genuine landscape change. The findings revealed a dramatic change in the physical template of the Barwon-Darling River over a 120-yr period. Waterhole depths and distances between waterholes have been altered significantly. The magnitude and trajectory of change was found to be scale-dependent, with the greatest observable change aligned with the presence or absence of low-level weirs. Waterholes influenced by low-level weirs have increased in depth because of localised impoundment, whilst the distance between deep waterholes (>4 m in depth) has declined substantially. In contrast, the maximum depths of waterholes located outside the influence of weir pools has declined by 1.6 m and the distance between deep waterholes has more than doubled in several reaches. These declines are likely to be caused by sediment accumulation in waterholes associated with anthropogenic increases in sediment flux and a decline in the river's capacity to entrain and transport sediment throughout the system.

Field Measurement of the Probability of Coarse-Grained Sediment Entrainment in Natural Rivers

AbstractThis study takes advantage of recent advances in field-based sediment motion monitoring to report direct field measurements of the bedload pick-up, or entrainment, function in natural grave...

Glacial Lake Inventory and Lake Outburst Flood/Debris Flow Hazard Assessment after the Gorkha Earthquake in the Bhote Koshi Basin

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) evolve into debris flows by erosion and sediment entrainment while propagating down a valley, which highly increases peak discharge and volume and causes destructive damage downstream. This study focuses on GLOF hazard assessment in the Bhote Koshi Basin (BKB), where was highly developed glacial lakes and was intensely affected by the Gorkha earthquake. A new 2016 glacial lake inventory was established, and six unreported GLOF events were identified with geomorphic outburst evidence from GaoFen-1 satellite images and Google Earth. A new method was proposed to assess GLOF hazard, in which large numbers of landslides triggered by earthquake were considered to enter into outburst floods enlarge the discharge and volume of debris flow in the downstream. Four GLOF hazard classes were derived according to glacial lake outburst potential and a flow magnitude assessment matrix, in which 11 glacial lakes were identified to have very high hazard and 24 to have high hazard. The GLOF hazard in BKB increased after the earthquake due to landslide deposits, which increased by 216.03 × 106 m3, and provides abundant deposits for outburst floods to evolve into debris flows. We suggest that in regional GLOF hazard assessment, small glacial lakes should not be overlooked for landslide deposit entrainment along a flood route that would increase the peak discharge, especially in earthquake-affected areas where large numbers of landslides were triggered.