Articles | Volume 12, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-367-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-367-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Feb 2024
Research article |
| 15 Feb 2024
| 15 Feb 2024
Dimensionless argument: a narrow grain size range near 2 mm plays a special role in river sediment transport and morphodynamics
Department of Earth Science and Environmental Change, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Chenge An
State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
Michael P. Lamb
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Marcelo H. Garcia
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Elizabeth H. Dingle
Department of Geography, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Jeremy G. Venditti
School of Environmental Science and Geography, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
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Short summary
River morphology has traditionally been divided by the size 2 mm. We use dimensionless arguments to show that particles in the 1–5 mm range (i) are the finest range not easily suspended by alluvial flood flows, (ii) are transported preferentially over coarser gravel, and (iii), within limits, are also transported preferentially over sand. We show how fluid viscosity mediates the special status of sediment in this range.
River morphology has traditionally been divided by the size 2 mm. We use dimensionless arguments...
