The interaction between sediment and surrounding water is influenced by numerous physical-chemical parameters. The presented sediment transport model allows predicting suspended solids concentration in water phase as a function of applied shear stress, sediment grain diameter, and fish abundance measure. Experiments on erosion of natural sediments in the annular flume at RWTH Aachen University are used for model calibration. Empirical coefficients are evaluated with genetic algorithms to achieve the best model fit. The presented model shows enough flexibility to account for various sediment properties, including different sediment sources, natural and artificial contaminants, presence or absence of aquatic organisms, and results in average determination coefficient R~2 = 90.4% between the model and the experimental data. Model simulation outcomes clearly show the essential to account for fish activity to predict the resuspension course correctly. Further sediment erosion experiments with carefully chosen conditions will allow more comprehensive model adjustment.
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