Cargando…

The exceptional sediment load of fine-grained dispersal systems: Example of the Yellow River, China

Sedimentary dispersal systems with fine-grained beds are common, yet the physics of sediment movement within them remains poorly constrained. We analyze sediment transport data for the best-documented, fine-grained river worldwide, the Huanghe (Yellow River) of China, where sediment flux is underpre...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ma, Hongbo, Nittrouer, Jeffrey A., Naito, Kensuke, Fu, Xudong, Zhang, Yuanfeng, Moodie, Andrew J., Wang, Yuanjian, Wu, Baosheng, Parker, Gary
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: American Association for the Advancement of Science 2017
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5429038/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28508078
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1603114
Descripción
Sumario:Sedimentary dispersal systems with fine-grained beds are common, yet the physics of sediment movement within them remains poorly constrained. We analyze sediment transport data for the best-documented, fine-grained river worldwide, the Huanghe (Yellow River) of China, where sediment flux is underpredicted by an order of magnitude according to well-accepted sediment transport relations. Our theoretical framework, bolstered by field observations, demonstrates that the Huanghe tends toward upper-stage plane bed, yielding minimal form drag, thus markedly enhancing sediment transport efficiency. We present a sediment transport formulation applicable to all river systems with silt to coarse-sand beds. This formulation demonstrates a remarkably sensitive dependence on grain size within a certain narrow range and therefore has special relevance to silt-sand fluvial systems, particularly those affected by dams.