scholarly journals Bedrock incision by bedload: insights from direct numerical simulations

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilhem Aubert ◽  
Vincent J. Langlois ◽  
Pascal Allemand
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Water Stream ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Mountainous Landscapes ◽  
Bedload Sediment ◽  
Discrete Element Simulations

Abstract. Bedload sediment transport is one of the main processes that contribute to bedrock incision in a river and is therefore one of the key control parameters in the evolution of mountainous landscapes. In recent years, many studies have addressed this issue through experimental setups, direct measurements in the field, or various analytical models. In this article, we present a new direct numerical approach: using the classical methods of discrete-element simulations applied to granular materials, we explicitly compute the trajectories of a number of pebbles entrained by a turbulent water stream over a rough solid surface. This method allows us to extract quantitatively the amount of energy that successive impacts of pebbles deliver to the bedrock, as a function of both the amount of sediment available and the Shields number. We show that we reproduce qualitatively the behaviour observed experimentally by Sklar and Dietrich (2001) and observe both a "tool effect" and a "cover effect". Converting the energy delivered to the bedrock into an average long-term incision rate of the river leads to predictions consistent with observations in the field. Finally, we reformulate the dependency of this incision rate with Shields number and sediment flux, and predict that the cover term should decay linearly at low sediment supply and exponentially at high sediment supply.

scholarly journals Bedrock incision by bedload: insights from direct numerical simulations

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilhem Aubert ◽  
Vincent J. Langlois ◽  
Pascal Allemand
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Water Stream ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Bedload Sediment ◽  
Discrete Element Simulations ◽  
High Sediment

Abstract. Bedload sediment transport is one of the main processes that contribute to bedrock incision in a river and is therefore one of the key control parameters in the evolution of mountainous lanscapes. In recent years, many studies have addressed this issue through experimental setups, direct measurements in the field or various analytical models. In this article, we present a new direct numerical approach: using the classical methods of discrete element simulations applied to granular materials, we compute explicitely the trajectories of a number of pebbles entrained by a turbulent water stream over a rough solid surface. This method allows us to extract quantitatively the amount of energy that successive impacts of pebbles deliver to the bedrock, as a function of both the amount of sediment available and the Shields number. We show that we reproduce qualitatively the behaviour observed experimentally by Sklar and Dietrich (2001) and observe both a "tool-effect" and a "cover- effect". Converting the energy delivered to the bedrock into an average long-term incision rate of the river leads to predictions consistent with observations in the field. Finally, we reformulate the dependency of this incision rate with Shields number and sediment flux, and predict that the cover term should decay linearly at low sediment supply and exponentially at high sediment supply.

Recognising tectonic and climatic signals in the Paleogene stratigraphy offshore Norway

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tor O. Sømme ◽  
Jakob Skogseid ◽  
Patricia Embry ◽  
Helge Løseth
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Data ◽  
Supply System ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Similar Process ◽  
System Response ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Shelf Slope ◽  
Depositional System

<p>Landscapes and their sediment routing systems can be exposed to various tectonic and climatic perturbations that affect sediment production, transport and delivery to nearby sedimentary basins. Here we investigate a Paleogene depositional system offshore western Norway that was subjected to long-term (~10 Myr) tectonic perturbation and significant hinterland erosion. Superimposed on this long-term uplift, the system was also subjected to a short-lived climatic perturbation during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), which lasted ~200 kyr. Regional 3D seismic reflection data is integrated with high resolution well data to map the stratigraphic response to these different scales of perturbations on the depositional system. The initiation of the tectonic perturbation is marked by an angular unconformity in seismic data. A rapid increase in sediment flux followed, causing initial progradation of a shelf-slope wedge. Sediment supply estimates indicate that the tectonic uplift caused an order of magnitude increase in sediment flux to the basin, which peaked in the latest Paleocene. This period coincided with the PETM, which is documented by biostratigraphic data as a discrete event within the overall regressive system. Although the PETM often is characterised by increased continental runoff, no increase in sediment supply is evident from seismic data. This work shows that the system response to tectonic and climatic perturbations may vary along strike, depending on the size of the routing systems and the antecedent topography prior to hinterland uplift. A low supply system may produce a tectonically-linked shelf-slope wedge that is of similar thickness as a climatically-linked wedge in a high supply system. This study documents how the same routing system responded to perturbations operating at different spatial and temporal scales and may help recognise similar process-response relationships in other areas.</p>

scholarly journals Did the Construction of the Bhumibol Dam Cause a Dramatic Reduction in Sediment Supply to the Chao Phraya River?

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 386
Author(s):  
Matharit Namsai ◽  
Warit Charoenlerkthawin ◽  
Supakorn Sirapojanakul ◽  
William C. Burnett ◽  
Butsawan Bidorn
Keyword(s):  
Saltwater Intrusion ◽  
River System ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Chao Phraya River ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Total Sediment ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Generation

The Bhumibol Dam on Ping River, Thailand, was constructed in 1964 to provide water for irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, flood mitigation, fisheries, and saltwater intrusion control to the Great Chao Phraya River basin. Many studies, carried out near the basin outlet, have suggested that the dam impounds significant sediment, resulting in shoreline retreat of the Chao Phraya Delta. In this study, the impact of damming on the sediment regime is analyzed through the sediment variation along the Ping River. The results show that the Ping River drains a mountainous region, with sediment mainly transported in suspension in the upper and middle reaches. By contrast, sediment is mostly transported as bedload in the lower basin. Variation of long-term total sediment flux data suggests that, while the Bhumibol Dam does effectively trap sediment, there was only a 5% reduction in sediment supply to the Chao Phraya River system because of sediment additions downstream.

Modeling and Assessment of the Produced Water Discharges from Offshore Petroleum Platforms

2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Chen ◽  
Lin Zhao ◽  
Kenneth Lee ◽  
Charles Hannath
Keyword(s):  
Random Walk ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Ecological Monitoring ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Water Stream

Abstract There has been a growing interest in assessing the risks to the marine environment from produced water discharges. This study describes the development of a numerical approach, POM-RW, based on an integration of the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) and a Random Walk (RW) simulation of pollutant transport. Specifically, the POM is employed to simulate local ocean currents. It provides three-dimensional hydrodynamic input to a Random Walk model focused on the dispersion of toxic components within the produced water stream on a regional spatial scale. Model development and field validation of the predicted current field and pollutant concentrations were conducted in conjunction with a water quality and ecological monitoring program for an offshore facility located on the Grand Banks of Canada. Results indicate that the POM-RW approach is useful to address environmental risks associated with the produced water discharges.

SEA model for structural acoustic coupling by means of periodic finite element models of the structural subsystems

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (1) ◽  
pp. 5301-5309
Author(s):  
Luca Alimonti ◽  
Abderrazak Mejdi ◽  
Andrea Parrinello
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Unit Cell ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Finite Element Models ◽  
Fe Model ◽  
Acoustic Coupling ◽  
Representative Unit Cell ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Acoustic Treatment

Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) often relies on simplified analytical models to compute the parameters required to build the power balance equations of a coupled vibro-acoustic system. However, the vibro-acoustic of modern structural components, such as thick sandwich composites, ribbed panels, isogrids and metamaterials, is often too complex to be amenable to analytical developments without introducing further approximations. To overcome this limitation, a more general numerical approach is considered. It was shown in previous publications that, under the assumption that the structure is made of repetitions of a representative unit cell, a detailed Finite Element (FE) model of the unit cell can be used within a general and accurate numerical SEA framework. In this work, such framework is extended to account for structural-acoustic coupling. Resonant as well as non-resonant acoustic and structural paths are formulated. The effect of any acoustic treatment applied to coupling areas is considered by means of a Generalized Transfer Matrix (TM) approach. Moreover, the formulation employs a definition of pressure loads based on the wavenumber-frequency spectrum, hence allowing for general sources to be fully represented without simplifications. Validations cases are presented to show the effectiveness and generality of the approach.

Feasibility of sedimentation strategies for the Mekong delta to counterbalance relative sea-level rise

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances E. Dunn ◽  
Philip S. J. Minderhoud
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Mekong Delta ◽  
Sediment Deposition ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Relative Sea Level ◽  
Fluvial Sediment ◽  
Relative Sea Level Rise

<p>As one of the largest deltas in the world, the Mekong delta is home to over 17 million people and supports internationally important agriculture. Recently deposited sediment compacts and causes subsidence in deltas, so they require regular sediment input to maintain elevation relative to sea level. These processes are complicated by human activities, which prevent sediment deposition indirectly through reducing fluvial sediment supply and directly through the construction of flood defence infrastructure on deltas, impeding floods which deliver sediment to the land. Additionally, anthropogenic activities increase the rate of subsidence through the extraction of groundwater and other land-use practices.</p><p>This research shows the potential for fluvial sediment delivery to compensate for sea-level rise and subsidence in the Mekong delta over the 21st century. We use detailed elevation data and subsidence scenarios in combination with regional sea-level rise and fluvial sediment flux projections to quantify the potential for maintaining elevation relative to sea level in the Mekong delta. We present four examples of localised sedimentation scenarios in specific areas, for which we quantified the potential effectiveness of fluvial sediment deposition for offsetting relative sea-level rise. The presented sediment-based adaptation strategies are complicated by existing land use, therefore a change in water and sediment management is required to effectively use natural resources and employ these adaptation methods. The presented approach could be an exemplar to assess sedimentation strategy feasibility in other delta systems worldwide that are under threat from sea-level rise.</p>

Embedding compaction processes in long-term evolution modeling of tidal marshes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Xotta ◽  
Claudia Zoccarato ◽  
Philip S. J. Minderhoud ◽  
Pietro Teatini
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Marsh Surface ◽  
Long Term Evolution ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Tidal Marshes ◽  
High Porosity ◽  
Fe Method ◽  
Geomechanical Properties ◽  
Term Evolution

<p>Tidal marshes are vulnerable and dynamic ecosystems with essential roles from protection against marine storms to biodiversity preservation. However, the survival of these environments is threatened by external stressors such as increasing mean sea level, reduction in sediment supply, and erosion. Tidal marshes are formed by deposition over the last centuries to millennia of sediments transported by surface water and biodegradation of organic matter derived from halophytic vegetation. Therefore, the sediment at the surface is characterized by high porosity and their large consolidation potential plays an important role in the future elevation dynamics, which is often not fully recognized.</p><p>Here we propose a novel three-dimensional numerical model to simulate the long-term dynamics of tidal marshes. A 3D groundwater flow equation in saturated conditions is implemented to compute the over-pressure dissipation with the aid of the finite element (FE) method, whereas the sediment consolidation is computed according to Terzaghi's theory.</p><p>A Lagrangian approach is implemented in the FE numerical model to properly consider the large soil deformation arising from the deposition of highly compressible material. The hydro-geomechanical properties, that depend on the intergranular effective stress, are highly non-linear.</p><p>The model takes advantage of a dynamic mesh that simulates the evolution of the landform elevation by means of an accretion/compaction mechanism: the elements deform in time as the soil consolidates and increase in number as the new sediments deposit over the marsh surface. The deposition is treated as input to the consolidation model and can vary in space and time.</p><p>The model is applied to simulate the long-term evolution of realistic tidal marshes in terms of accretion and consolidation due to the coupled dynamics of surficial and subsurface processes.</p>

scholarly journals Stratigraphy of the Anthropocene

2011 ◽  
Vol 369 (1938) ◽  
pp. 1036-1055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Zalasiewicz ◽  
Mark Williams ◽  
Richard Fortey ◽  
Alan Smith ◽  
Tiffany L. Barry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Relative Timing ◽  
Sequence Stratigraphic ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Marine Realm ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Long Term Preservation

The Anthropocene, an informal term used to signal the impact of collective human activity on biological, physical and chemical processes on the Earth system, is assessed using stratigraphic criteria. It is complex in time, space and process, and may be considered in terms of the scale, relative timing, duration and novelty of its various phenomena. The lithostratigraphic signal includes both direct components, such as urban constructions and man-made deposits, and indirect ones, such as sediment flux changes. Already widespread, these are producing a significant ‘event layer’, locally with considerable long-term preservation potential. Chemostratigraphic signals include new organic compounds, but are likely to be dominated by the effects of CO 2 release, particularly via acidification in the marine realm, and man-made radionuclides. The sequence stratigraphic signal is negligible to date, but may become geologically significant over centennial/millennial time scales. The rapidly growing biostratigraphic signal includes geologically novel aspects (the scale of globally transferred species) and geologically will have permanent effects.

Late Miocene sediment delivery from the axial drainage system of the East Carpathian foreland basin to the Black Sea

Geology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 761-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjan de Leeuw ◽  
Stephen J. Vincent ◽  
Anton Matoshko ◽  
Andrei Matoshko ◽  
Marius Stoica ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Late Miocene ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Danube River ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Foreland Basins ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Slab Breakoff

Abstract We describe a late Miocene to early Pliocene axial drainage system in the East Carpathian foreland, which was an important sediment supplier to the Black Sea and the Dacian Basin. Its existence explains the striking progradation of the northwest Black Sea shelf prior to the onset of sediment supply from the continental-scale Danube River in the late Pliocene to Pleistocene. This axial drainage system evolved due to the diachronous along-strike evolution of the Carpathians and their foreland; continental collision, overfilling, slab breakoff, and subsequent exhumation of the foreland occurred earlier in the West Carpathians than in the East Carpathians. After overfilling of the western foreland, excess sediment was transferred along the basin axis, giving rise to a 300-km-wide by 800-km-long, southeast-prograding river-shelf-slope system with a sediment flux of ∼12 × 103 km3/m.y. Such late-stage axial sediment systems often develop in foreland basins, in particular, where orogenesis is diachronous along strike. Substantial lateral sediment transport thus needs to be taken into account, even though evidence of these axial systems is often eroded following slab breakoff and inversion of their foreland basins.

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