Muddy Sediment Erosion: Insights From Field Studies

摘要

Research into the erosion process of cohesive sediments began in the laboratory. The laboratory environment is particularly useful since it presents a controlled environment in which specific phenomena can be observed. Historical laboratory experiments have provided a wealth of information and a firm foundation for this area of research. However, natural muddy sediments are notoriously complex and this factor has limited the usefulness of laboratory-derived data in quantitative terms. This has lead to direct experimentation using specialized in-situ flumes. Although these devices have certain limitations, they have given rise to an entirely new data set that is inherently more useful since it represents the field situation. Much new information has been uncovered (e.g., patterns of natural erosion including bed load transport, magnitude of spatiotemporal gradients, macro- and microbiological effects, etc.). The principal elements of the erosion and deposition process have been confirmed in both qualitative and quantitative terms in the field situation. Muddy sediment erosion has been found to be even more complex than previously thought, resulting in a synergistic approach where field and laboratory studies are combined to improve understanding.