Author(s): J. Muskatirovic; P. Goodwin
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Gravel-bed rivers; Bed-load sediment transport; Central Idaho
Abstract: The demand and need for accurate quantitative prediction of sediment transport has never been greater. Current issues include dam decommissioning, re-licensing of hydropower facilities, extending the operational lives of reservoirs and maintaining beneficial uses – particularly for endangered aquatic species. Many endangered species, such as the salmon in the Columbia Basin, require specific substrate characteristics at different life stages. The knowledge of sediment regime is one of the key factors for the sustainability of threatened or endangered species. There are numerous difficulties in predicting the sediment regime (sediment transport, scour and deposition, bank erosion, downstream fining, floodplain interaction, etc.) in river systems. These difficulties arise due to the difficulty in establishing linkages between the turbulence and particle motion at the micro-scale to sediment yield and delivery into the river at the macro-scale. This paper investigates some influences of different processes on sediment transport, the applicability of four widely used bed-load transport equations, and identifies some additional factors that could improve the prediction of sediment transport rates. Streams in Central Idaho (USA) will be used as the study site for this analysis.
Year: 2003