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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Watershed Physical Processes Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #63704
Title: A TRANSPORT ALGORITHM FOR VARIABLE SEDIMENT SIZES: APPLICATION TO WIDE SEDIMENT SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS

Author
item Kuhnle, Roger
item Garbrecht, Jurgen
item Alonso, Carlos

Submitted to: Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/4/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Accurate calculations of the rate of sediment being moved by a stream are necessary because the sediment may fill reservoirs and reduce their capacity, may fill channels and cause flooding, may degrade water quality, and may cause instability of the channel banks which can cause the destruction of valuable land. An accurate calculation technique is also critical for use in models used by watershed managers who seek to restore the physical environment of streams. This paper gives modifications and then tests an improved sediment transport model, which widens it applicability and improves its performance.

Technical Abstract: Total sediment transport was estimated as the summation of the transport rate of 12 sediment size fractions which were computed by an algorithm composed of three different transport relations. An effective diameter for critical flow strength is used in the algorithm to account for the effect of the sediment mixture on the initiation of motion of each size fraction. Tests with laboratory and field data sets show that the transport algorithm gives reasonable estimates of both grain size and the rate of sediment in transport.