In-Stream Laser Diffraction for Measuring Suspended Sediment Concentration and Particle Size Distribution in Rivers: Insights from Field Campaigns
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 149, Issue 2
Abstract
This study evaluates the laser in situ scattering and transmissometry (LISST) instrument LISST-SL2, a laser diffraction instrument for suspended sediment sampling in rivers, with concurrent physical measurements of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and particle size distribution (PSD) as well as velocity measurements by an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). We collected 136 LISST-SL2 samples along with 61 physical samples for SSC measurement, of which 24 physical samples included PSD measurement during 2018–2020 from 11 sites in Washington state and Virginia. An effective density is required to convert the measured volumetric SSC by the LISST-SL2 into a reported mass SSC, and by default the LISST-SL2 assumes a value of . From our data set, we computed effective densities (mass SSC/volumetric SSC) that ranged from 0.5 to , with a best-fit value of . Additionally, the LISST-SL2 was not able to measure the finest sediment sizes in suspension, which affects the resulting PSD. Therefore, we propose some adjustments of the LISST-SL2 data with a supporting physical sample to account for these effective density and PSD issues. When doing so, we were able to reduce the root-mean square relative error (RMSRE) to 18% from 117% for SSC, and to 26% from 78% for PSD. LISST-SL2 velocities were generally higher than ADCP velocities with a 21% RMSRE. Our results and guidance will allow for more accurate sampling by the LISST-SL2, which has potential for studying spatial and temporal variation of suspended sediment characteristics in rivers.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available in a repository online in accordance with funder data retention policies. Data for this research are available at Curran et al. (2022): https://doi.org/10.5066/P9SPVN51.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the Federal Interagency Sedimentation Program (FISP). We thank Yogi Agrawal (retired from Sequoia Scientific) for guidance on identifying erroneous laser diffraction measurements. We thank Scott Anderson (USGS), two anonymous reviewers, Associate Editor (anonymous), and Chief Editor (Fabian A. Bombardelli) for carefully reviewing our manuscript and for providing thoughtful and insightful comments that helped improve our work.
References
Agrawal, Y. C., I. N. McCave, and J. B. Riley. 1991. “Laser diffraction size analysis.” In Principles, methods and application of particle size analysis, edited by J. M. P. Syvitski, 119–128. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Agrawal, Y. C., and O. Mikkelsen. 2019. “Sediments in river columns-particle size distribution and concentrations measured with a LISST-SL2 isokinetic instrument.” In Proc., E-proceedings of the 38th IAHR World Congress. Madrid, Spain: International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research. https://doi.org/10.3850/38WC092019-1767.
Agrawal, Y. C., and H. C. Pottsmith. 1994. “Laser diffraction particle sizing in STRESS.” Cont. Shelf Res. 14 (10–11): 1101–1121. https://doi.org/10.1016/0278-4343(94)90030-2.
Agrawal, Y. C., and H. C. Pottsmith. 2000. “Instruments for particle size and settling velocity observations in sediment transport.” Mar. Geol. 168 (1–4): 89–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-3227(00)00044-X.
Agrawal, Y. C., and P. Traykovski. 2001. “Particles in the bottom boundary layer: Concentration and size dynamics through events.” J. Geophys. Res. 106 (C5): 9533–9542. https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JC900160.
Agrawal, Y. C., A. Whitmire, O. A. Mikkelsen, and H. C. Pottsmith. 2008. “Light scattering by random shaped particles and consequences on measuring suspended sediments by laser diffraction.” J. Geophys. Res. Oceans 113 (C4): C04023. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JC004403.
Ahammad, M., J. A. Czuba, A. M. Pfeiffer, B. P. Murphy, and P. Belmont. 2021. “Simulated dynamics of mixed versus uniform grain size sediment pulses in a gravel-bedded river.” J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf. 126 (10): e2021JF006194. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006194.
Andrews, S., D. Nover, and S. G. Schladow. 2010. “Using laser diffraction data to obtain accurate particle size distributions: The role of particle composition.” Limnol. Oceanogr. Methods 8 (10): 507–526. https://doi.org/10.4319/lom.2010.8.507.
APHA (American Public Health Association), American Water Works Association, Water Pollution Control Federation, and Water Environment Federation. 1912. Vol. 2 of Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association.
Blott, S. J., D. J. Croft, K. Pye, S. E. Saye, and H. E. Wilson. 2004. “Particle size analysis by laser diffraction.” Geol. Soc. London 232 (1): 63–73. https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.232.01.08.
Boldt, J. A., and K. A. Oberg. 2016. “Validation of streamflow measurements made with M9 and RiverRay acoustic Doppler current profilers.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 142 (2): 04015054. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001087.
Bradley, J. B., and H. R. Hadley. 2014. “Impacts of the mount St. Helens eruption on the Columbia and Cowlitz rivers and the corps’ response to date.” In Proc., World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2014, 1128–1137. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Castro, J. 1995. Effects of sediment on the aquatic environment: Potential NRCS actions to improve aquatic habitat (No. 6). Washington, DC: USDA.
Curran, C. A., M. Ahammad, and J. A. Czuba. 2022. LISST-SL2 dataset. Reston, VA: US Geological Survey ScienceBase.
Curran, C. A., E. E. Grossman, C. S. Magirl, and J. R. Foreman. 2016. Suspended sediment delivery to Puget Sound from the lower Nisqually River, Western Washington, July 2010–November 2011 (No. 2016-5062). Washington, DC: USGS.
Czuba, J. A., M. Hirschler, E. A. Pratt, A. Villamagna, and P. L. Angermeier. 2022. “Bankfull shear velocity predicts embeddedness and silt cover in gravel streambeds.” River Res. Appl. 38 (1): 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3878.
Czuba, J. A., C. S. Magirl, C. R. Czuba, C. A. Curran, K. H. Johnson, T. D. Olsen, H. K. Kimball, and C. C. Gish. 2012a. Geomorphic analysis of the river response to sedimentation downstream of Mount Rainier, Washington. Reston, VA: USGS.
Czuba, J. A., C. S. Magirl, C. R. Czuba, E. E. Grossman, C. A. Curran, A. S. Gendaszek, and R. S. Dinicola. 2011. Sediment load from major rivers into Puget Sound and its adjacent waters. Reston, VA: USGS.
Czuba, J. A., T. D. Olsen, C. R. Czuba, C. S. Magirl, and C. C. Gish. 2012b. Changes in sediment volume in Alder Lake, Nisqually River Basin, Washington, 1945–2011. Reston, VA: USGS.
Czuba, J. A., T. D. Straub, C. A. Curran, M. N. Landers, and M. M. Domanski. 2015. “Comparison of fluvial suspended-sediment concentrations and particle-size distributions measured with in-stream laser diffraction and in physical samples.” Water Resour. Res. 51 (1): 320–340. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014WR015697.
Davis, B. E. 2005. A guide to the proper selection and use of federally approved sediment and water-quality samplers. Reston, VA: USGS.
Despotovic, M., V. Nedic, D. Despotovic, and S. Cvetanovic. 2016. “Evaluation of empirical models for predicting monthly mean horizontal diffuse solar radiation.” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 56 (Apr): 246–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.11.058.
Edwards, T. K., and G. D. Glysson. 1999. “Field methods for measurement of fluvial sediment.” In Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey: Book 3, Application of Hydraulics, Chap. C2, 89. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Fahnestock, R. K. 1963. Vol. 422 of Morphology and hydrology of a glacial stream--White River, Mount Rainier, Washington. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
Felix, D., I. Albayrak, and R. M. Boes. 2013. “Laboratory investigation on measuring suspended sediment by portable laser diffractometer (LISST) focusing on particle shape.” Geo-Mar. Lett. 33 (6): 485–498. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-013-0343-1.
FISP (Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project). 1941. A study of methods used in measurement and analysis of sediment loads in streams. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
García, M. H. 2008. “Sediment transport and morphodynamics.” Chap. 2 in Sedimentation Engineering: Processes, measurements, modeling, and practice: ASCE manuals and reports on engineering practice No. 110, edited by M. H. García, 21–163. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Gartner, J. W., R. T. Cheng, P. F. Wang, and K. Richter. 2001. “Laboratory and field evaluations of LISST-100 instrument for suspended particle size determinations.” Mar. Geol. 175 (1–4): 199–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-3227(01)00137-2.
Gitto, A. B., J. G. Venditti, R. Kostaschuk, and M. Church. 2017. “Representative point-integrated suspended sediment sampling in rivers.” Water Resour. Res. 53 (4): 2956–2971. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR019187.
Gray, J., D. Glysson, and T. Edwards. 2008. “Suspended-sediment samplers and sampling methods, section 5.3, in Sediment transport measurements.” Chap. 5 in Sedimentation engineering: Processes, measurements, modeling, and practice: ASCE manuals and reports on engineering practice No. 110, edited by P. Diplas, et al., 320–339. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Gray, J. R., and J. W. Gartner. 2009. “Technological advances in suspended-sediment surrogate monitoring.” Water Resour. Res. 45 (4): W00D29. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR007063.
Gray, J. R., and M. N. Landers. 2013. “Measuring suspended sediment.” In Vol. 1 of Comprehensive water quality and purification, edited by S. Ahuja, 159–204. Waltham, MA: Elsevier.
Guo, L., and Q. He. 2011. “Freshwater flocculation of suspended sediments in the Yangtze River. China.” Ocean Dyn. 61 (2–3): 371–386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-011-0391-x.
Guy, H. P. 1969. “Laboratory theory and methods for sediment analysis.” In Techniques of water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geol. Surv., book 5, chap. C1, 55. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Gyawali, A. J., and R. D. Stewart. 2019. “An improved method for quantifying soil aggregate stability.” Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 83 (1): 27–36. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2018.06.0235.
Hession, W. C. 2017. “Reducing sediment in Stroubles Creek, Blacksburg, VA.” Accessed May 1, 2022. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/81783/SCIP_FinalReport.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
Jaeger, K. L., C. A. Curran, S. W. Anderson, S. T. Morris, P. W. Moran, and K. A. Reams. 2017. Suspended sediment, turbidity, and stream water temperature in the Sauk River Basin, western Washington, water years 2012-16. Washington, DC: USGS.
Jahns, R. H., W. R. Griffitts, and E. W. Heinrich. 1952. Mica deposits of the southeastern Piedmont, Part 1, general features. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
Jones, J. B., Jr., and L. A. Smock. 1991. “Transport and retention of particulate organic matter in two low-gradient headwater streams.” J. North Am. Benthological Soc. 10 (2): 115–126. https://doi.org/10.2307/1467572.
Kabir, S. M. I., and H. Ahmari. 2020. “Evaluating the effect of sediment color on water radiance and suspended sediment concentration using digital imagery.” J. Hydrol. 589 (Oct): 125189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125189.
Landers, M. N. 2012. “Fluvial suspended sediment characteristics by high-resolution, surrogate metrics of turbidity, laser-diffraction, acoustic backscatter, and acoustic attenuation.” Ph.D. dissertation, Dep. of Civil and Environment Engineering, Georgia Tech.
Legg, N. T., A. J. Meigs, G. E. Grant, and P. Kennard. 2014. “Debris flow initiation in proglacial gullies on Mount Rainier, Washington.” Geomorphology 226 (Dec): 249–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.08.003.
Mikkelsen, O., and M. Pejrup. 2000. “In situ particle size spectra and density of particle aggregates in a dredging plume.” Mar. Geol. 170 (3–4): 443–459. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-3227(00)00105-5.
Mikkelsen, O., and M. Pejrup. 2001. “The use of a LISST-100 laser particle sizer for in-situ estimates of floc size, density and settling velocity.” Geo-Mar. Lett. 20 (4): 187–195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003670100064.
Mueller, D. S., C. R. Wagner, M. S. Rehmel, K. A. Oberg, and F. Rainville. 2009. Measuring discharge with acoustic Doppler current profilers from a moving boat. Reston, VA: US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey.
National Weather Service. 2022. “Rivers of the U.S.: Full set of rivers—rv16my07.zip.” Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.weather.gov/gis/Rivers.
Oberg, K. A., S. E. Morlock, and W. S. Caldwell. 2005. Quality-assurance plan for discharge measurements using acoustic Doppler current profilers. Reston, VA: USGS.
Pedocchi, F., and M. H. García. 2006. “Evaluation of the LISST-ST instrument for suspended particle size distribution and settling velocity measurements.” Cont. Shelf Res. 26 (8): 943–958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2006.03.006.
Rantz, S. E. 1982. Measurement and computation of streamflow: Volume 1. Measurement of stage and discharge. Reston, VA: USGS.
Rouse, H. 1939. An analysis of sediment transportation in the light of fluid turbulence. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service.
Santos, A. I., D. Carinhas, A. Oliveira, J. P. Pinto, M. C. Freitas, and D. M. Hanes. 2021. “A statistical interpretation of acoustic backscatter and laser responses to suspended particle variations in the coastal shelf.” Mar. Geol. 436 (Jun): 106474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2021.106474.
Sassi, M. G., A. J. F. Hoitink, and B. Vermeulen. 2012. “Impact of sound attenuation by suspended sediment on ADCP backscatter calibrations.” Water Resour. Res. 48 (9): W09520. https://doi.org/10.1029/2012WR012008.
Scott, K. M. 1988. Origins, behavior, and sedimentology of lahars and lahar-runout flows in the Toutle-Cowlitz River system. Reston, VA: USGS.
Sequoia Scientific. 2017. “LISST-SL2 User’s Manual version 1.2.” Accessed December 12, 2021. https://www.sequoiasci.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LISST-SL2_Users_Manual_v1.2.pdf.
Shugar, D. H., R. Kostaschuk, J. L. Best, D. R. Parsons, S. N. Lane, O. Orfeo, and R. J. Hardy. 2010. “On the relationship between flow and suspended sediment transport over the crest of a sand dune, Río Paraná, Argentina.” Sedimentology 57 (1): 252–272. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3091.2009.01110.x.
Thomas, L. P., and B. M. Marino. 2021. “Empirical approach using acoustic Doppler current profilers for determining particle size distributions in estuaries with highly concentrated suspended matter.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 147 (7): 04021022. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001893.
Topping, D. J., D. M. Rubin, S. A. Wright, and T. S. Melis. 2011. Field evaluation of the error arising from inadequate time averaging in the standard use of depth-integrating suspended-sediment samplers. Reston, VA: US Geological Survey.
Uhrich, M. A., K. R. Spicer, A. R. Mosbrucker, and T. S. Christianson. 2015. “Evaluating turbidity and suspended-sediment concentration relations from the North Fork Toutle River Basin near Mount St. Helens, Washington; annual, seasonal, event, and particle size variations: A preliminary analysis.” In Proc., 5th Federal Interagency Hydrologic Modeling Conf. and the 10th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conf. Washington, DC: ACWI Subcommittee on Sedimentation.
USGS. 2012. “100 m National Elevation Dataset.” Accessed October 24, 2022. https://olga.er.usgs.gov/server/rest/services/Microbe/USGS_2012_National_Elevation_Dataset/MapServer.
USGS. 2014. Sediment laboratory quality assurance project. Reston, VA: US Department of the Interior, USGS.
USGS. 2016. “USGS small-scale dataset—1:1,000,000-scale state boundaries of the United States 201403 Shapefile.” Accessed October 24, 2022. https://olga.er.usgs.gov/server/rest/services/Microbe/USGS_2012_National_Elevation_Dataset/MapServer.
USGS. 2021. “National Water Information System: U.S. Geological Survey web interface.” Accessed May 1, 2022. https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis.
Welch, N. H., P. B. Allen, and D. J. Galindo. 1979. “Particle-size analysis by pipette and SediGraph.” J. Environ. Qual. 8: 543–546. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1979.00472425000800040020x.
Wharton, G., S. H. Mohajeri, and M. Righetti. 2017. “The pernicious problem of streambed colmation: A multi-disciplinary reflection on the mechanisms, causes, impacts, and management challenges.” Wiley Interdiscip. Rev.: Water 4 (5): e1231. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1231.
Williams, N. D., D. E. Walling, and G. J. L. Leeks. 2007. “High temporal resolution in situ measurement of the effective particle size characteristics of fluvial suspended sediment.” Water Res. 41 (5): 1081–1093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2006.11.010.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 149 • Issue 2 • February 2023
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 3, 2022
Accepted: Sep 25, 2022
Published online: Nov 24, 2022
Published in print: Feb 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Apr 24, 2023
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.