Estimation of Concentration and Load of Suspended Bed Sediment in a Large River by Means of Acoustic Doppler Technology
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 7
Abstract
The standard experimental methods used for sampling suspended loads in large rivers are usually time consuming, unsafe, rather expensive, and have a limited spatial resolution. Acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs), usually applied to measure the flow discharge, may also be used to assess the suspended sediment concentration by analyzing the backscattering acoustic strength. Though important efforts have been dedicated to test this method, results are not as reliable as engineering practices require, especially in large fluvial systems. In this paper, the correlation between the corrected backscatter from a 1,200 kHz ADCP and the suspended concentration from a depth-integrated sampler is presented and discussed. Despite the assumptions required to utilize this method (i.e., monosized grain and homogeneous vertical concentration), the results showed acceptable differences when they were compared with traditional methods. An evaluation of the backscatter and attenuation of sound produced by fine and coarse material is presented. Finally, the total suspended load of bed sediment is assessed using moving-boat ADCP measurements and compared with results from the corresponding standard method. Differences are at most 46%.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Roberto Mir and Santiago Cañete for their assistance during the field work. This study is part of project PICT 2006-00758, “Measurement and calculation of river sediment transport” funded by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica of Argentina and project CAID 2009 “Analysis of morphodynamics processes in a floodplain of a large lowland river: The Parana river in its middle reach” funded by the Universidad Nacional del Litoral of Argentina.
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Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 140 • Issue 7 • July 2014
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 7, 2012
Accepted: Dec 9, 2013
Published online: Mar 13, 2014
Published in print: Jul 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Aug 13, 2014
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