Using turbidity and acoustic backscatter intensity as surrogate measures of suspended sediment concentration in a small subtropical estuary.

Turbidity-controlled sampling for suspended sediment load estimation

Automated data collection is essential to effectively measure suspended sediment loads in storm events, particularly in small basins. Continuous turbidity measurements can be used, along with discharge, in an automated system that makes real-time sampling decisions to facilitate sediment load estimation. The Turbidity Threshold Sampling method distributes sample collection over the range of ris...

Turbidity as a Surrogate Measure for Suspended Sediment Concentration in Elkhorn Slough, CA

Feedback between residual circulations and sediment distribution in highly turbid estuaries: An analytical model

Motivated by field studies of the Ems estuary which show longitudinal gradients in bottom sediment concentration as high as O(0.01 kg/m), we develop an analytical model for estuarine residual circulation based on currents from salinity gradients, turbidity gradients, and freshwater discharge. Salinity is assumed to be vertically well mixed, while the vertical concentration profile is assumed to...

Surrogate Measures for Providing High Frequency Estimates of Total Suspended Solids and Total Phosphorus Concentrations

Surrogate measures like turbidity, which can be observed with high frequency in situ, have potential for generating high frequency estimates of total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations. In the semiarid, snowmelt-driven, and irrigation-regulated Little Bear River watershed of northern Utah, high frequency in situ water quality measurements were recorded in conjunctio...

High-resolution Measurements of Suspended- Sediment Concentration and Grain Size in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon Using a Multi- Frequency Acoustic System

Computation of accurate sediment loads in rivers where the transport of suspended sediment is at least partially regulated by changes in the upstream sediment supply requires high-resolution measurements of suspended-sediment concentration that are collected independently of waterdischarge data. To meet this objective, a multi-frequency acoustic system has been developed and tested on the Color...