Articles | Volume 12, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1267-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1267-2024
Research article
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08 Nov 2024
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 08 Nov 2024

Testing floc settling velocity models in rivers and freshwater wetlands

Justin A. Nghiem, Gen K. Li, Joshua P. Harringmeyer, Gerard Salter, Cédric G. Fichot, Luca Cortese, and Michael P. Lamb

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Cited articles

Agrawal, Y. C. and Pottsmith, H. C.: Instruments for particle size and settling velocity observations in sediment transport, Mar. Geol., 168, 89–114, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-3227(00)00044-X, 2000. 
Agrawal, Y. C., Whitmire, A., Mikkelsen, O. A., and Pottsmith, H. C.: Light scattering by random shaped particles and consequences on measuring suspended sediments by laser diffraction, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 113, C04023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JC004403, 2008. 
Baptist, M. J., Babovic, V., Rodríguez Uthurburu, J., Keijzer, M., Uittenbogaard, R. E., Mynett, A., and Verwey, A.: On inducing equations for vegetation resistance, J. Hydraul. Res., 45, 435–450, https://doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2007.9521778, 2007. 
Benson, T. and French, J. R.: InSiPID: A new low-cost instrument for in situ particle size measurements in estuarine and coastal waters, J. Sea Res., 58, 167–188, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2007.04.003, 2007. 
Bevington, A. E., Twilley, R. R., Sasser, C. E., and Holm Jr, G. O.: Contribution of river floods, hurricanes, and cold fronts to elevation change in a deltaic floodplain, northern Gulf of Mexico, USA, Estuar. Coast. Shelf S., 191, 188–200, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2017.04.010, 2017. 
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Nghiem et al. calibrate and validate floc settling velocity models in freshwater, highlighting the controls on rates of sedimentation and organic carbon burial. The findings resolve discrepancies between observations and Stokes law-based models, which rely on floc characteristics like diameter, permeability, and fractal properties. This research advances our understanding of fine particle dynamics and their role in landscape evolution.
Short summary
Fine sediment grains in freshwater can cohere into faster-settling particles called flocs, but floc settling velocity theory has not been fully validated. Combining three data sources in novel ways in the Wax Lake Delta, we verified a semi-empirical model relying on turbulence and geochemical factors. For a physics-based model, we showed that the representative grain diameter within flocs relies on floc structure and that heterogeneous flow paths inside flocs increase floc settling velocity.