Numerical Experiments on Sediment Pulse Dynamics

Abstract:

Local channel morphology is highly dependent on sediment supply from upstream reaches. Sediment pulses are introduced to channels during natural and anthropogenic disturbances such as landslides, dam removal, or gravel augmentation. Flume studies have shown that sediment pulses tend to evolve through some combination of translation and dispersion, but the relative importance of the sediment pulse size, the grain size of the pulse material, flow unsteadiness, and channel nonuniformity is poorly understood. Here we use a one-dimensional morphodynamic model to simulate the evolution of various sediment pulses in a straight, rectangular channel. The model is capable of determining transcritical flows, using the energy equation for subcritical nodes and a reduced momentum equation for supercritical nodes. Bed evolution and grain size sorting are handled with the mixed-grain-size Exner equation for sediment continuity. A stratigraphy submodel allows the vertical grain size distribution created during deposition to provide feedbacks on morphodynamic processes encountered during degradation. We explore how pulse characteristics such as total mass, feed timing, and grain size distribution affect pulse translation and dispersion. We also consider the influence of steady versus unsteady water discharge and the existence of background sediment feed. Finally, we examine the effect of variations in channel width by varying the amplitude and wavelength of downstream sinusoidal width undulations. Preliminary results suggest that smaller sediment pulses experience a greater degree of translation than larger pulses. Width variations, particularly those of larger amplitudes, were found to result in increased pulse dispersion. Our results suggest that morphodynamic models can facilitate understanding of what controls sediment pulse dynamics, and they may improve predictions and the potential effectiveness of river restoration techniques such as dam removal and gravel augmentation.