Advective flow in sediments under the influence of compaction*

Models on flow and transport in surface water sediments currently neglect compaction, although it is well understood that compaction is one of the major processes below the free fluid-sediment interface. Porosity changes in the sediment layers, as a result of compaction, are measured in almost all probes: porosity decreases with the distance from the surface water-sediment interface. This paper provides a rigorous derivation of basic flux terms for a frame of reference that is moving with the fluid-sediment interface. It is shown how burial rate, interface velocity, velocities of fluid and solid phase and porosity are connected—under steady-state conditions. It turns out that porosity and the velocities in a one-dimensional column can be directly computed from each other. These findings are important not only for the understanding of compaction-driven flow itself; they are crucial for all studies on storage and transport of chemical components in sediments. As mass fluxes across the sediment-water interface may be affected, there is an indirect link on surface water quality, making these findings relevant also for research on eutrophication of surface water bodies and/or on biogeochemical cycles.