A constructed wetland (0.08 ha) receiving drainage water from a small agricultural catchment (22 ha) with clay soil, was investigated with respect to phosphorus dynamics and retention. The aim was to evaluate the function of the wetland with respect to phosphorus retention, and relate that to gross sedimentation as measured with sediment traps. Hydraulic load and phosphorus retention were estimated for 2003-2010 based on monitoring data. Furthermore, water quality dynamics was studied during three intensive sampling periods of 3-5 days during 2010. For each period, phosphorus retention was calculated and the relationship between flow and phosphorus concentrations analysed. Additionally, the gross sedimentation rate was estimated using sediment traps, and the phosphorus, carbon and nitrogen content analysed. The results suggested that there was no net retention of phosphorus during 2003-2010, except for 04/05. During the intensive sampling periods, release of phosphorus from the wetland mainly occurred during high flow. Sediment analyses showed that settling of inflow particles mostly occurred in the inlet pond, while the sediment found in a shallow vegetated area and outlet pond likely originated from internal processes rather than from the catchment. In fact, the gross sedimentation of phosphorus during April-July and July-August, respectively, exceeded the measured phosphorus inflow. The results showed that short periods with rapid flow increases were crucial for the wetlands function and thus high frequency sampling must be done during these periods. Furthermore, it seems that the particles lost from the catchment during high flows are too small to settle in the wetland.

The sediment resuspension and turbidity created during dredging operations is both an economical and environmental issue. The movement of sediment plumes created from dredging operations has been predicted with numerical modeling, however, these far-field models need a “source term” or near-field model as input. Although data from field tests have been used to create near-field models that predict the amount of material suspended in the water column, these results are skewed due to limitations such as non-uniform sediment distributions, water currents, and water quality issues. Laboratory investigations have obtained data for turbidity during dredging operations, but these results do not take advantage of the most contemporary testing methods. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide an estimation of turbidity created during a cutter suction dredging operation. This estimation was facilited by the development of resuspension measurement and data acquisition techniques in a laboratory setting. Near-field turbidity measurements around the cutter head were measured in the Haynes Coastal Engineering Laboratory at Texas A&M University. The laboratory contains a dredge/tow tank that is ideal for conducting dredging research. A dredge carriage is located in the dredge/tow tank and is composed of a carriage, cradle, and ladder. Acoustic Doppler Velocimetry (ADV) and Optical Backscatter Sensor (OBS) measurements were taken at specific points around the cutter head. The variables of suction flow rate, cutter speed, and the thickness of cut were investigated to understand their specific effect on turbidity generation and turbulence production around the cutter head. A near-field advection diffusion model was created to predict resuspension of sediment from a cutter suction dredge. The model incorporates the laboratory data to determine the velocity field as well as the turbulent diffusion. The model is validated with laboratory testing as well as field data. Conclusions from this research demonstrate undercutting consistently produced larger point specific turbidity maximum than overcutting in the laboratory testing. An increase in suction flow rate was shown to increase production and decrease turbidity around the cutter head. In general, an increase in cutter speed led to an increase in turbidity. The thickness of cut produced less resuspension for a full cut versus a partial cut. Data for a “shallow cut” also produced less turbidity generation than partial cuts. The numerical model was compared to all laboratory testing cases as well as the Calumet Harbor and New Bedford cutter resuspension data and produced suitable MRA values for all tests. The numerical model produced higher point specific regions of turbidity for undercutting but produced larger mean values of turbidity for overcutting.

Enterococci are fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) that are used worldwide for water quality assessment. However, evidence of high densities and extended survival of enterococci in sediments and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) has caused uncertainty about their reliability in predicting human health risks from recreational activities in environmental waters. To address the concern that sediments and SAV may harbor large reservoirs of enterococci that can affect water column concentrations, aquatic mesocosms and environmental sampling were employed to investigate patterns of enterococci densities and population structure across the Tampa Bay watershed. In mesocosm experiments and environmental samples, SAV harbored higher densities of enterococci, per mass of substrate, than sediments, and sediments harbored higher densities than water. Population structure assessed by BOX-PCR genotyping was relatively unique in each sample, although slight similarities among samples suggested grouping primarily by location rather than substrate or season. Strain diversity was highly variable, and many samples had low diversity, including nearly monoclonal structure throughout the mesocosm experiments and in several of the environmental samples. Several strains were highly abundant and cosmopolitan (found across sites, seasons, and substrates), and may represent highly naturalized and reproducing indicator bacteria populations that are not directly related to pollution events. When the enterococci densities were viewed from the perspective of the entire aquatic system, SAV-associated enterococci did not comprise a major proportion of the total population, due to the typically large differences in volume of each substrate (SAV vs. sediments vs. water). Instead, the largest proportions of enterococci were typically found in the water or the sediments, depending on the relative volume of substrate or the enterococci density associated with each substrate. Modeling results illustrate that the relative importance of each substrate in terms of FIB populations can shift dramatically over time and space due to changes such as vegetation cover, tidal cycles, and bacteria densities. Furthermore, at several sites within the watershed, estimates of sediment and bacteria resuspension from sediments were very low, suggesting that this process rarely, if ever, significantly affects water column concentrations of enterococci in the watershed.

Resuspension is an important source of particles in the indoor environment. A variable that may have a significant impact on the fraction of particles removed from indoor surfaces is the type of particle deposit. Particles may be deposited in either a monolayer, where there is minimal particle-to-particle contact, or a multilayer, where there is substantial particle-to-particle contact and interaction. This paper provides a review of theoretical and experimental studies on particle resuspension from monolayer and multilayer particle deposits. In addition, an experimental methodology was developed to determine resuspension from the two types of deposits on indoor surfaces. Seeded samples were exposed to controlled flow conditions in a micro-scale wind tunnel and were analyzed with fluorescence stereomicroscopy. Resuspension was found to occur at significantly lower velocities for multilayer deposits compared to monolayer deposits. / text

In some environmental situations, environmental effects caused by elevated metals resulting from past mining and smelting activities can be observed in nearby receiving water bodies several decades after mine and smelter closure. There is a growing need for managing the hazardous solid wastes such as mining wastes as well as for assessing water quality and for sustainable management of sediment quality. The work presented in this thesis examined the mobilization of metals from two metal sources: mining wastes from a mine site in Vietnam and sediments from a contaminated lake in Sweden in order to test the hypothesis that mobilization of metals will be increased, when the environmental conditions change by e.g. exposure of mining wastes to oxidative weathering, change of redox conditions at the water-sediment interface and resuspension of sediments. The results from this work under field and laboratory conditions have verified the hypothesis. The exposure of sulphidic mining wastes in oxidative weathering conditions may cause long-term production of ARD and the resultant long-term mobility of metals. The oxidation/resuspension of sediments is an important factor for the release of trace metals Zn, Cu and Cd into the solution and substantial amounts of particles and, hence, associated metals into overlying water. The concomitant changes in pH during oxidation/resuspension of sediment play a significant role in the metal release both to redox sensitive elements Fe and Mn and trace elements Zn, Cu and Cd. The concomitant change in DOC during oxidation/resuspension can also contribute to the increased mobility of study metals. The field study was coupled to intermittent operation of a hydropower plant. The mobility of the metals was higher under operation compared to non-operation and, thus, the potential impacts on dispersal of metal pollution to downstream aquatic environments. The sudden increase in water flow upon the hydropower plant upon shifts from inactive to active state could cause immediate release of particles and thus particulate metals in the overlying water. However, the magnitude and its integrated effects in fluxes of metals over the season call for further research. There is a need to further investigate the impacts of hydropower generation in a longer period of time and at a higher frequency of observations at the very start of the hydropower operation. The results from this multidisciplinary approach would give a basis for an optimal operation of the hydropower plant to minimize the metal pollution associated with the water flow. / <p>The series number is changed from 410 to 430 and the ISBN is changed from 978-91-85895-56-4 to 978-91-7393-926-3.</p>

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Pour évaluer la gravité d'un accident de feu de boîte à gants dans une installation nucléaire, il est important de connaitre le terme source, qui est la quantité de matière radioactive mise en jeu. On cherche à identifier les phénomènes à l'origine de la libération de contaminants particulaires lors de la dégradation thermique de ces boîtes à gants. Deux matériaux (alumine et carbure de tungstène) ont été retenus pour simuler le comportement du contaminant considéré, le dioxyde de Plutonium. Deux dispositifs expérimentaux ont été conçus afin de contaminer et de dégrader thermiquement des plaques de Plexiglas (PMMA). Un ensemble d'essais à petite échelle a également permis de mieux comprendre les phénomènes à l'origine de la libération ou du piégeage des particules. La masse volumique du matériau utilisé a un impact direct sur l'émission des particules, la granulométrie des particules a un impact lorsque la dégradation thermique est rapide (flux thermique élevé). Ceci s'explique par l'interaction entre les particules émises et l'écoulement en proche paroi, phénomène qui a pu être observé expérimentalement. Une modélisation numérique de la situation étudiée a été réalisée et a permis de reproduire partiellement les résultats expérimentaux. Des améliorations peuvent encore être apportées, notamment sur la représentation du phénomène de piégeage des particules dans la matrice polymère. Cette étude pourra également donner des éclaircissements sur la problématique de l'émission des nanoparticules lors de la combustion de polymères nanochargés. / In order to assess the consequences of a glove box fire occurring in a nuclear facility, it is important to gather information on the source term, the amount of radioactive material that can be emitted to the environment. The objective is to identify the different phenomenon contributing to the release of radioactive particles from the surface of glove box materials undergoing pyrolysis. Two materials (alumina and tungsten carbide) were chosen as possible surrogates of the considered radioactive material, which is Plutonium dioxide. Two experimental facilities were designed to generate deposit on Plexiglas (PMMA) plates and burn them. Several small-scale experiments were also conducted to obtain knowledge of the phenomenon causing the release or trapping of the particles. Material density was found to have a direct impact on the release of particles, while particle size distribution had an impact only for fast thermal degradation (corresponding to high external heat flux). The reason is the strong interaction between the particles and the air flow close to the sample surface, which has been observed experimentally. A theoretical model of the problem was constructed, it was able to reproduce the experimental results, albeit partially. Improvements can be made, especially on the modelling of the trapping of particle by the polymer matrix. This study could help in understanding the problematic of nanoparticle emission from burning nanomaterials.

Improved knowledge of sediment dynamics within a lake system is important for understanding lake water quality. This research was focused on an assessment of the vertical sediment flux in Lake Jesup, a shallow (1.3 m average depth) hypereutrophic lake of central Florida. Sediment dynamics were assessed at varying time scales (daily to weekly) to understand the transport of sediments from external forces; wind, waves, precipitation and/or runoff. Four stations were selected within the lake on the basis of water depth and the thicknesses of unconsolidated (floc) and consolidated sediments. At each of these stations, a 10:1 (length to diameter) high aspect ratio trap (STHA) was deployed to collect particulate matter for a one to two week period. The water and sediment samples were collected and analyzed for total carbon (TC), total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN). Mass accumulation rates (MAR) collected by the traps varied from 77 to 418 g m-2 d-1 over seven deployments. TN, TP and TC sediment concentrations collected by the traps were consistently higher than the sediments collected by coring the lake bottom and is most likely associated with water column biomass. A yearly nutrient budget was determined from August 2009 to August 2010 with flux calculated as 2,033,882 mt yr-1.

Dans les analyses de sûreté du futur réacteur à fusion ITER, on anticipe un accident de perte de vide susceptible de mettre en suspension des particules produites et déposées sur les parois du tore. L’objectif de cette thèse est de fournir des données expérimentales fiables afin de développer et valider un modèle de mise en suspension (MES), prenant en compte la basse pression et prévoyant les fractions de particules mobilisées lors d’un tel évènement. Pour ce faire, des expériences ont été effectuées en fonction des paramètres clés — diamètre des particules, vitesse de frottement et masse volumique — entrant dans le mécanisme de MES. L’analyse de la granulométrie des particules de tungstène produites en tokamak met en évidence des diamètres allant de 0,1 à 10 µm. Les résultats expérimentaux de MES de dépôts monocouche sont en bon accord avec le model Rock’nRoll lorsque les particules sont uniquement mobilisée par le fluide. Cependant, une mobilisation des particules fines par agglomération, non prise en compte dans les modèles de MES, a été mise en évidence. Mes expériences ont aussi révélé l’importance de la structure (porosité et épaisseur) des dépôts multicouches dans le mécanisme de MES avec, là encore, une mobilisation par agglomération de particules. L’effet de la basse pression dans la mise en suspension a été étudié entre 10 et 1 000 mbar et doit se poursuivre à plus basse pression. Mes résultats de MES montrent une réduction du frottement dans les forces aérauliques à basse pression. Enfin, les mesures de la cinétique du phénomène de MES ont mis en évidence trois zones distincts avec un effet à court terme, un effet à long terme et une zone de transition qui devront être pris en compte dans un calcul de MES. / In ITER, a loss of vacuum accident is likely to re-suspended particles produced and deposited on the torus walls. The thesis purpose is to provide reliable experimental data to develop and validate a re-suspension model, taking into account the low pressure and predicting the amount of particles mobilized during such event. Experiences were carried out as a function of key parameters — particle diameter, friction velocity and density of the atmosphere — entering in the re-suspension mechanism. The size distribution of tungsten particles specific to fusion reactors was obtained from a collection in the AUG tokamak: modes at 0,8 µm and at 1,6 µm. The adhesion forces, adjustment parameters of most re-suspension models, were measured by Atomic Forces Microscopy (AFM). Experimental data of re-suspension of monolayer and multilayers deposits were acquired in two wind-tunnels: BISE-II (Saclay) and AWTS-II (Aarhus). For the monolayer deposits, the re-suspended particle fractions were measured by size bins, for friction velocities of 1.0 and 1.5 m.s-1 at 1,000 mbar, and of 1.0 m.s-1 at 300 mbar. Regarding the multilayers deposits, the re-suspension was measured for five surrounding pressures (25, 60, 10, 300 and 1,000 mbar), constituting a valuable data base for the development of a re-suspension model taking into account the mobilisation by particle clustering and the effect of a low pressure. Finally, measurements of the MES phenomenon kinetic highlighted three distinct regions with a short-term effect, long-term effect and a transition region which must be taken into account in a MES calculation.

The accurate prediction of water quality is essential for management of reservoirs used for drinking water supply. Since algae are a major source of taste and odor problems in drinking water, understanding and controlling algal growth and production is an important task. Deer Creek Reservoir supplies drinking water for over one million people in northern Utah and has been highly eutrophic in the past. Despite major reductions in external nutrient loading, including phosphorus, seasonal algal blooms in Deer Creek have not decreased to desired levels. Resuspension of sediment has been suggested as a potential source of internal nutrient loading for water bodies (including reservoirs in the Utah/Wyoming area) and may be responsible for delays in water quality improvement. I investigated sediment deposition and resuspension rates at the upper end of the reservoir and evaluated these sediments as a possible internal source of phosphorus. Sonar and GPS systems were used to make measurements of recently deposited sediment in the submerged Provo River delta of Deer Creek Reservoir during the period of May, June, July, and August 2011. ArcGIS 10 was used to interpolate survey points and calculate sediment volume changes, including areas of deposition and erosion. These data were used to develop approximate sedimentation rates for the soft sediment – which is most susceptible to resuspension during reservoir drawdown. I used previously measured field phosphorous concentrations in the sediment to estimate if these processes could affect reservoir phosphorous concentrations. The study used two survey areas, a small area near the Provo River inlet early in the year, and an extended larger area starting on June 23rd. I found that sediment volume in the smaller study area was increasing at a rate of 27-109 m3/day during the spring season. Data show that rates are slightly correlated with flow and reservoir elevation. Typically by August, Deer Creek reservoir would have been drawn down 2 to 4 m. However, due to a heavy snow pack in 2011, Deer Creek reservoir was not drawn down. When the reservoir is drawn down, the sediments in the upper region of the delta, where the survey was conducted, will be resuspended and deposited lower in the reservoir. These processes will likely result in releasing the phosphates currently bound to the sediment into the water column. Based on previous measurements of readily soluble phosphates bound to the sediment, this resuspension could release between 80 and 230 kg of phosphorus from the study area into the water column during critical times during the warm months–conditions well suited for algal growth. This amount of phosphorus, while an upper bound of what could be expected under actual field conditions, could raise phosphorus concentrations in the survey area by as much as 0.38 mg/L. The potential P (80-230 kg) release could account for 14%-42% of the TMDL. This is a potentially significant amount, especially if released during the critical late-summer period, and warrants more detailed study.