Wave flume experiments on the contribution of seabed fluidization to sediment resuspension

Sediment resuspension is commonly assumed to be eroded from the seabed surface by an excess bottom shear stress and evolves in layers from the top down. Although considerable investigations have argued the importance of wave-induced seabed fluidization in affecting the sediment resuspension, few stu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta oceanologica Sinica 2018-03, Vol.37 (3), p.80-87
Main Authors: Zhang, Shaotong, Jia, Yonggang, Wang, Zhenhao, Wen, Mingzheng, Lu, Fang, Zhang, Yaqi, Liu, Xiaolei, Shan, Hongxian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Climatology
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Ecology
Engineering Fluid Dynamics
Environmental Chemistry
Erosion
Erosion resistance
Fluidization
Fluidizing
Flumes
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Mathematical models
Ocean floor
Oceanography
Parametric equations
Resuspension
Sediment
Sediments
Seepage
Shear stress
Silt
Surface boundary layer
Surface layers
Water depth
Wave height
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Summary:Sediment resuspension is commonly assumed to be eroded from the seabed surface by an excess bottom shear stress and evolves in layers from the top down. Although considerable investigations have argued the importance of wave-induced seabed fluidization in affecting the sediment resuspension, few studies have been able to reliably evaluate its quantitative contribution till now. Attempt is made to preliminarily quantify the contribution of fluidization to resuspension using a series of large-scale wave flume experiments. The experimental results indicated that fluidization of the sandy silts of the Huanghe Delta account for 52.5% and 66.8% of the total resuspension under model scales of 4/20 and 6/20 (i.e., relative water depth: the ratio of wave height to water depth), respectively. Some previously reported results obtained using the same flume and sediments are also summarized for a contrastive analysis, through which not only the positive correlation is confirmed, but also a parametric equation for depicting the relationship between the contribution of fluidization and the model scale is established. Finally, the contribution of fluidization is attributed to two physical mechanisms: (1) an attenuation of the erosion resistance of fluidized sediments in surface layers due to the disappearing of original cohesion and the uplifting effect resulting from upward seepage flows, and (2) seepage pumping of fines from the interior to the surface of fluidized seabed.
ISSN:0253-505X
1869-1099
DOI:10.1007/s13131-018-1143-2