Review of Cohesive Sediments in Open Channels: Erosion, Transport, and Applications by Emmanuel Partheniades: Butterworth-Heinemann, Stoneham, Mass., 2009, 384 pp. Price: $135.00.

It is mainly because of their physicochemical properties that the development of our understanding of cohesive sediments has followed a course somewhat different from that of noncohesive sediments. A major and acknowledged role in the advance of cohesive sediments knowledge is played by the methods of physics as expressed through non-Newtonian fluid mechanics. Recent advances in understanding microscale dynamic behavior of cohesive sediments are also rooted in the physicochemical hydrodynamics and soil mechanics.

The extraordinary growth of interest in cohesive sediments since the 1950s continues to provoke the publication of new engineering-oriented monographs into the early 21st century, notably, Whitehouse et al. (2000), and Winterwerp and van Kesteren (2004). Emmanuel Partheniades’s new book aims to provide a practical framework for theoretical, laboratory, and field studies of erosion and transport of cohesive sediments and the major environmental factors influencing those processes.

This book reviews the current status of those research topics with particular emphasis on the work by the author and his associates and colleagues. Its scope is best seen in terms of the chapter headings: “The Mineralogy and the Physicochemical Properties of Cohesive Sediments,” “Forces between Clay Particles and the Process of Flocculation,” The Hydrodynamic Transport Processes of Cohesive Sediments and the Governing Equations,” “Rheologic Properties of Cohesive Sediment Suspensions,” “Erosion of Cohesive Soils,” “Deposition and Resuspension of Cohesive Soils,” and “Engineering Applications of Cohesive Sediment Dynamics.” Such topics would be of particular interest to civil and hydraulic engineers. Some of them could be of interest to hydrologists, geomorphologists, sedimentologists, and environmental scientists.

The first chapter, “Introduction,” briefly highlights the importance and distinction of sediments in general, then provides an overview of the historical development of the science and engineering of cohesive sediment behavior, and finally states the overall objectives of this book and outlines its major contents.

Chapter 2, “The Mineralogy and the Physicochemical Properties of Cohesive Sediments,” presents a detailed overview of the nature and mineralogy of clay particles within cohesive sediment suspensions and cohesive sediment deposits. This is a nice chapter summarizing and discussing the major fundamental physicochemical properties of cohesive sediments that are critical to their dynamic behavior. The main difference between this second chapter and similar chapters in other texts on cohesive sediments is in its focus on cohesive sediments first rather than on hydrodynamics (turbulence and boundary layer, etc.) first.

Chapter 3, “Forces between Clay Particles and the Process of Flocculation,” is the second longest in the book. The author has intentionally emphasized the most fundamental process of cohesive sediments (i.e., flocculation). Particular emphasis is placed on small-scale examination and analysis of interparticle physicochemical forces. Partheniades has been successful in his attempt to explain the physical meaning of forces between clay particles and flocculation processes using a minimum of mathematics. It is always true that most great classics, when revisited in the light of new developments, may reveal hidden pearls. A couple of early classic contributions, such as Smoluchowski (1916, 1917), could have been added to this chapter.

Chapter 4, “The Hydrodynamic Transport Processes of Cohesive Sediments and the Governing Equations,” is the longest in the book and is highly concise, and yet fairly comprehensive. Mathematical formulae modeling general transport processes, collision, aggregation and flocculation are clearly presented with full explanations.

Chapter 5, “Rheologic Properties of Cohesive Sediment Suspensions,” is the shortest in this book. Non-Newtonian behavior of cohesive sediment suspensions is highlighted in this separate chapter. Readers may then easily understand the fundamental difference in flow behavior between cohesive and noncohesive sediments and also are given guidance as to the future challenges within the general context of cohesive sediments.

Chapter 6, “Erosion of Cohesive Soils,” presents an overview of the theoretical, laboratory and recent field studies of erosion behavior of cohesive soils. In addition, an analysis is given of Kennedy’s formulas to demonstrate that those early formulas and rules are really applicable in developing measures to counter deposition or siltation.

Chapter 7, “Deposition and Resuspension of Cohesive Soils,” presents a synthesis of the theoretical and laboratory studies of the deposition and resuspension of cohesive soils with the particular emphasis on the major work done by the author. Section 7.3 “Resuspension of Deposited Sediments” might have been more appropriately placed in Chapter 6 just following two sections, Section 6.2 “Erosion of Consolidated Cohesive Soils” and Section 6.3 “Erosion of Soft Cohesive Sediment Deposits.”

In the final chapter of this book, Chapter 8, a summary is given of engineering applications of cohesive sediment dynamics in several tidal estuaries, including the Savannah estuary, the Delaware River estuary, the Thames River estuary, the Maracaibo estuary, and the San Francisco Bay estuary. A reading of this chapter might lead the readers to conclude that the book title, with its specific mention of open channel, may be misleadingly narrow.

As pointed out by the author himself, the transport of cohesive sediments by waves is not discussed in the present book. As such, the effect of combined wave-current flow on cohesive sediments, an important subject in estuarine and coastal engineering, is not considered.

Throughout the book, simple mathematical equations and clear schematic illustrations together with several tables are easy for readers to understand. The list of references is up to date. Both author index and subject index will be very helpful for readers, especially those young undergraduate and postgraduate students. In conclusion, the book does achieve its stated aim.