Ce travail de recherche présente une étude expérimentale de l’influence d’un écoulement tourbillonnaire sur un lit sédimentaire. Les expériences se déroulent dans un canal hydro-sédimentaire à surface libre, à l’Institut P’. Deux dispositifs permettant de générer des tourbillons isolés, d’axe vertical ou horizontal, ont été conçus lors de cette thèse. Ce travail se concentre sur le premier de ces montages : une étude paramétrique par mesures optiques (PIV, PIV stéréoscopique) est menée, notamment avec deux conditions de rugosité de paroi. Des lois de comportements sont ainsi établies. La caractérisation des écoulements tourbillonnaires révèle une forte tridimensionnalité, de même que la présence de structures turbulentes particulières, liées aux phénomènes de transport sédimentaire. Un second axe d’étude s’attache à la description de la mise en suspension de sédiments par un tourbillon d’axe vertical. Les structures turbulentes liées au transport sont étudiées, ainsi que le comportement du panache de sédiments. La reconstruction du lit sédimentaire sur un temps long, par l’utilisation d’une méthode de stéréo-corrélation, met en avant les régions d’affouillement et d’accrétion induites par le passage d’un seul tourbillon isolé. Enfin, une étude numérique basée sur OpenFOAM est proposée. La méthodologie exposée reproduit bien les comportements du fluide et des sédiments : la validation de cet outil permettrait d’aborder de nouveaux paramètres d’étude par la connaissance précise des quantités de sédiments mobilisés. / This research work presents an experimental study on the influence of a vortex flow over a sediment bed. The experiments are conducted in a free-surface water channel in the Pprime Institute. Two specific apparatuses, generating isolated vortices of vertical or horizontal axis, were designed during this project. This study focuses on the vertical device. A parametric study is performed with optical measurements (PIV, stereoscopic PIV), in particular with two conditions for the wall roughness. Some behaviour laws are thus established. The characterization of those swirling flows depicts a strong three-dimensional effect, as well as the presence of specific turbulent structures related to sediment transport phenomenon. The secondary section of this work focuses on the sediment suspension caused by a vertical vortex. Turbulent structures related to transport are studied, like the sediment plume behaviour. Reconstruction of the bed over a long period of time, using a stereo-correlation method, highlights scour and accretion regions, induced by the isolated vortex. Finally, a numerical study based on OpenFOAM is proposed. The suggested methodology reproduces the observed fluid and sediment behaviours. Validation of this numerical tool could bring some new study parameters, providing an in-depth comprehension on the quantity of mobilized sediments.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar o transporte de sedimentos na região central da Baixada Santista (SP) através do uso do modelo numérico ROMS (Regional Ocean Modeling System) acoplado ao modelo numérico SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) em simulações representativas dos meses de agosto de 2009 e janeiro de 2010. Os resultados indicaram haver picos no transporte de sedimentos, principalmente na plataforma continental e na Baía de Santos, durante a passagem de sistemas frontais, chegando a atingir 4,2 kg m2 s1 na região costeira. As menores taxas de concentração de sedimentos em suspensão na coluna d\'água ocorreram durante os períodos de quadratura, sem a presença de ventos fortes e incidência de ondas com grande energia. O transporte por carga de fundo encontrado na área costeira de Praia Grande foi predominantemente para sudoeste, em ambos os meses simulados, onde, as maiores taxas de transporte foram observadas no mês de agosto com valores em torno de 1 x 10 kg m2 para o mês. A taxa de sedimentação na região do alto estuário foi da ordem de 1 cm ano1, concordando com os dados disponíveis na literatura. O modelo numérico representou de forma satisfatória os padrões de transporte de sedimentos encontrados na região. / This study aimed to analyze the sediment transport in the central region of Baixada Santista (SP) using the numerical model ROMS (Regional Ocean Modeling System) coupled to the numerical model SWAN (Simulating Waves Nearshore) in simulations representing the months of August 2009 and January 2010. The results suggested peaks in sediment transport, especially on the continental shelf and the Bay of Santos, during the passage of frontal systems, achieving values of 4,2 kg m2 s1 nearshore. The lowest rates of concentration of suspended sediment in the water column occurred during periods of neap tides, without the presence of strong winds and incidence of waves with high energy. In both simulated months, the bedload transport found in the coastal area of Praia Grande was predominantly to the southwest, with the highest rates of transport observed in the month of August, with values of 1 x 10 kg m2. The rate of sedimentation in the upper estuary has been on the order of 1 cm year1, in agreement with the data available in the literature. The numerical model represented the transport patterns of sediments found in the region in a satisfactory way.

Coastal foredune evolution involves complex processes and controls. Although a great deal is known about the effects of vegetation cover, moisture, and fetch distance on sediment supply, and of topographic forcing on airflow dynamics, the role of large woody debris (LWD) as a modulator of sediment supply and a control on foredune growth is understudied. Large assemblages of LWD are common on beaches near forested watersheds and collectively have a degree of porosity that increases aerodynamic roughness and provides substantial sand trapping volume. To date, no research has attempted to understand the geomorphic role that LWD matrices, as a whole, have as roughness elements affecting airflow and sediment transport across a beach-dune system, or, what the long-term implications of these impacts are on beach and foredune erosion recovery and evolution. This four-year research initiative investigated the role of a LWD matrix on beach-dune morphodynamics on West Beach, Calvert Island on the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. This study integrated data from research that spanned three temporal scales, 1) event-scale (10 min) flow and sediment transport patterns, 2) daily frequency and relative magnitude of landscape changing events, 3) seasonal to interannual-scale volumetric and LWD changes. An event-scale experiment to characterise airflow dynamics and related sand transport patterns showed that LWD distinctly alters wind flow patterns and turbulence levels from that of incoming flow over a flat beach. Overall, mean wind speed and fluctuating flow properties declined as wind transitioned across the LWD. Streamwise mean energy was converted to turbulent energy, however, the reductions in mean flow properties were too great for the increased streamwise turbulence to have an effect on transport. In response to these flow alterations and more limited sand transport pathways to the foredune, sediment flux was reduced by 99% in the LWD compared to the open beach, thereby reducing sand supply to the foredune. Sand grains rebounding off of the LWD were carried higher into the flow field resulting in greater mass flux recorded at 20-50 cm in the LWD as opposed to the flat beach. This effect was only recorded 6 m into the LWD. As such, LWD has the potential to modulate rates of foredune recovery, growth, and evolution. Time-lapse photography collected at 15 min intervals during the study revealed that storm events lead to wave-induced erosion of the backshore and reworking of the LWD matrix. The exposed LWD matrix subsequently traps aeolian sediment that leads to rapid burial of the LWD and building of a raised platform for emergent vegetation. However, infilling of the accommodation space within the LWD matrix is so rapid, that sediment starvation of the foredune is short-lived. While the LWD at this site does trap sediment in the backshore, helping to protect the dune from scarping, LWD at this study site maintains an overall lower impact on transport to the foredune. Critical to this relationship is the frequency and magnitude of nearshore events that erode the beach periodically and re-organize the LWD matrix, which directly impacts the ability of LWD to store sediment and modulate transport to the foredune. A conceptual model exploring these relationships is presented. / Graduate

Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2011. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-74). / Coastal barriers are particularly susceptible to the predicted effects of accelerated of sea-level rise and the potential for increased impacts of intense storms. Over centennial scales, barriers are maintained via overtopping during storms, causing deposition of washover fans on their landward sides. This study examines three washover fans on the south shore of Martha's Vineyard using a suite of data including vibracores, ground penetrating radar, high resolution dGPS, and LiDAR data. From these data, the volumes of the deposits were determined and range from 2.1-2.4 x 10⁴ m³. Two overwashes occurred during Hurricane Bob in 1991. The water levels produced by this storm have a return interval of ~28 years, resulting in an onshore sediment flux of 2.4-3.4 m³/m/yr. The third washover was deposited by a nor'easter in January 1997, which has a water level return interval of ~6 years, resulting in a flux of 8.5 m³/m/yr. These fluxes are smaller than the flux of sediment needed to maintain a geometrically stable barrier estimated from shoreline retreat rates, suggesting that the barrier is not in long-term equilibrium, a result supported by the thinning of the barrier over this time interval. / by Emily A. Carruthers. / S.M.

Este estudo teve por objetivo analisar as possíveis correlações entre as taxas de recomposição do fundo, pluviometria e marés para a região do Terminal Marítimo de Ponta da Madeira, Maranhão, Brasil. Foram analisados os dados de levantamentos batimétricos, pluviometria e marés, realizados na região do Terminal, além de dados de chuvas e vazões líquidas e sólidas provenientes do sistema fluvial da sub-bacia do rio Mearim, ligado ao estuário em que se localiza o Terminal. O período analisado compreende os anos de 2010 a 2013. Observou-se que há boa correlação entre vazões sólidas e líquidas no sistema fluvial, sendo que há variação sazonal de vazão líquida, relacionada aos períodos chuvoso e seco, com maiores vazões no período chuvoso. Foram observadas influências desta sazonalidade nas áreas de dragagem mais a sul no Terminal, com boa correlação entre taxas de recomposição do fundo e pluviometria. Em relação às marés, as influências foram melhor observadas nas áreas mais a norte, com boa correlação entre taxas de recomposição do fundo e marés nestas áreas. Os períodos com maiores intensidades de movimentação de fundo estão, de maneira geral, relacionados ao período de intensificação das chuvas e aos solstícios e equinócios, principalmente o equinócio de primavera. O método utilizado provou ser uma boa ferramenta de auxílio à previsão de movimentação e deposição de sedimentos. / The objective of this is study was to analyze possible correlations between bed recovery rates, rainfall and tides for Ponta da Madeira maritime terminal, located in Maranhão, Brazil. Bathymetries, rain and tidal data from the terminal area were analyzed, besides rain and river solid and liquid flow from Mearim river, which flows into the estuary. The data analyzed was collected from 2010 to 2013. There was good correlation between solid and liquid Mearim river flow, related directly to rainy and dry seasons. Seasonal influence was more important at dredging areas located at the terminal south region, which presented good relations between bed recovery rates and rain. North dredging areas bed recovery rates were more subjected to tidal variations. Generally, periods with high bed recovery rates were associated with rainy periods or either solstice and equinox, mainly in the spring. Such a methodology was considered to be successful as an auxiliary tool to predict bed behavior.

A previsão hidrológica é um processo estocástico dependente de fatores aleatórios, e, por si só, possui incertezas, porém, como a descarga sólida de um rio se correlaciona com a vazão por uma relação do tipo potência, na previsão do assoreamento de reservatório estas incertezas são maximizadas. Métodos empíricos e semi-empíricos de previsão de assoreamento negligenciam importantes fenômenos hidráulicos que regem o comportamento instantâneo do transporte de sedimentos. Incertezas e erros na estimativa da vida útil de reservatórios na fase de estudo de viabilidade é prejudicial ao processo decisório de qual reservatório e/ou se o reservatório deve ser construído. A pesquisa identificou os mecanismos de como a variabilidade hidrológica influencia a previsão do assoreamento de reservatórios por meio de casos idealizados e validação das hipóteses em estudo de caso, também foi proposto um fluxograma de atividades para a previsão de assoreamento capaz de reduzir incertezas inerentes a estes estudos, pautado na modelagem hidrodinâmica de transporte de sedimentos, ferramentas de hidrologia estatística e uso de múltiplos cenários, o Procedimento Metodológico para Redução de Incertezas na Previsão do Assoreamento de Reservatórios (PRIPAR - NH). Identificou-se que: séries de vazões com maior variabilidade resultam em um aporte de sedimento maior quando comparado à somatório de seu valor médio, e quanto maior a variabilidade maior o aporte resultante; séries com mesmo aporte de sedimentos e maior parte nos primeiros anos do reservatório resultam em assoreamento mais rápido devido a relativa alta Eficiência de Retenção de sedimentos nos primeiros anos e sua redução com a evolução do assoreamento; e, comprovou-se que modelos estocásticos para geração de séries sintéticas produzirão séries ligeiramente diferentes caso aplicados mais de uma vez, mesmo quando utilizando parâmetros de calibração iguais, causando significativa diferença na previsão do assoreamento. O PRIPAR - NH foi aplicado no estudo de caso do reservatório da PCH Mogi-Guaçu. Os 50 cenários analisados suportam a hipótese, apresentando amplitude de 12,4% do volume assoreado calculado, com média de 48,1% de seu volume em 50 anos. / The hydrologic forecast is a stochastic process that relays on a random factor. It present uncertainties by itself, but when used for reservoir sedimentation studies this uncertain are maximized due the fact that sediment load relates with flow discharge by a power type function. Empirical and semi-empirical methods for reservoir sedimentation forecast, widely used in Brazil, neglects important hydraulic phenomena that governs the instantaneous sediment transport behavior. Uncertainties and errors in reservoirs useful life estimation during feasibility studies are detrimental for the process of choosing which reservoir should be build and/or if the reservoir should be build. This study identified how hydrologic forecast and flow variability affects reservoir sedimentation studies, by means of hypothetical ideal scenarios and validations of the hypothesis in a study case. It also proposed a process flowchart for reservoir sedimentation studies able reduces uncertainty by the use of sediment transport modelling, statistical tools applied in hydrology and multiple scenarios, the PRIPAR-NH. It was identified that: as the degree of variability in flow data series increases, sediment loads also increase in comparison with the value calculated by the average flow; for the same sediment income, data series that presents most part of the sediment loads in the early years of the reservoir operation presents a faster sedimentation, it is explained by the fact the sediment Trap Efficiency reduces along the time due the reservoir storage capacity loss; and, it was proved that stochastic model will produce different data series if applied more than once, even when using the same calibration parameters, and it affects significantly the sedimentation forecast results. The PRIPAR-NH was applied to assess the sedimentation in Mogi-Guaçu Hydropower reservoir. The 50 analyzed scenarios support the study main hypotheses, presenting results for sedimentation volume ranging in 12.4%. The average sedimentation volume found was 48.1% for a 50 years scenario.

O estudo do transporte de sedimentos, partindo da estimativa de estruturas turbulentas relevantes, constituiu o principal foco deste trabalho. Assim, a equação de transporte de massa (advecção-difusão) foi aplicada em conjunto com as equações de Navier-Stokes e da continuidade filtradas. Neste contexto, houve a necessidade de uma descrição conveniente da turbulência, o que ocorreu mediante a aplicação da simulação de grandes escalas acoplada a modelos de viscosidade turbulenta sub-malha. O método de fronteira imersa foi utilizado na modelação da interface sólido/fluido, representada pela geometria de fundo dos canais. As equações de Navier-Stokes filtradas e da continuidade foram resolvidas numericamente pelo método de passos fracionados, o qual estabeleceu o almejado acoplamento entre ambas. Na discretização das equações governantes foi utilizado o método de diferenças finitas, aplicado sobre malhas deslocadas. Os esquemas explícitos de Adams-Bashforth (de segunda e quarta ordens) foram utilizados no avanço temporal das velocidades do escoamento e das concentrações de sedimentos. Uma nova formulação para a velocidade de sedimentação foi desenvolvida analiticamente, enquanto que eventuais fluxos de ressuspensão foram impostos como condição de contorno no fundo do canal. Todos os códigos computacionais, que estabeleceram as diretrizes e a lógica de cálculo, foram criados no contexto deste trabalho. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a simulação de grandes escalas, associada ao método de fronteira imersa, considerando velocidade de sedimentação conforme aqui modelada, e ainda utilizando a equação de advecção-difusão para o transporte de massa, constituem ferramentas altamente adequadas à estimativa do transporte de sedimentos pela água. / The goal of this work is the research of sediment transport phenomena, deriving from outstanding turbulent eddies estimative. Thus, the mass transport equation (advection-diffusion) was connected with the filtered Navier-Stokes and continuity equations. In this context, the large-eddy simulation and sub-grid viscosity modeling established a convenient description of turbulence effects. The immersed boundary method was applied to model solid/fluid interface, represented here by the shapes of channel bottom. The filtered Navier-Stokes and continuity equations were solved by the fractional step method. The equations were discretized with the finite difference method, applied over staggered grids, whereas explicit Adams-Bashforth schemes (second and forth orders) were used in temporal advancement of velocities and sediment concentration fields. A new analytical formulation for settling velocity was obtained, while fortuitous re-suspension flux was applied like a boundary condition in the channel bottom. The computational code was totally developed in this work. The results of present simulations show that large-eddy simulation coupled to the immersed boundary method, considering, yet, the settling velocity of particles and the advection-diffusion equation for mass transport, constitute potential tools for sediment transport evaluation in water flows.

The purpose of this study is to analyze how estimates of an important geomorphic parameter, effective discharge, are impacted by the choice of bed material load equations and flow duration curves (FDCs). The Yang (1979), Brownlie (1981), and Pagosa equations developed by Rosgen (2006) were compared for predicting bed material load. To calculate the bed material load using the Pagosa equations, the bedload and suspended load are calculated separately and the results are added together. To compare the effectiveness of the equations, measured bed material load data from the USGS Open-File Report 89-67 were used. Following the calculations, the equation results were compared to the measured data. It was determined that the Pagosa equations performed the best overall, followed by Brownlie and then Yang. The superior performance of the Pagosa equations is likely due to the equations being calibrated. USGS regression equations for FDCs were compared to a method developed by Dr. David Rosgen in which a dimensionless FDC (DFDC) is developed. Weminuche Creek in southwestern Colorado was used as the study site. Rosgen's DFDC method requires the selection of a streamgage for a stream that exhibits the same hydro-physiographic characteristics as the site of interest. An FDC is developed for the gaged site and made dimensionless by dividing the discharges by the bankfull discharge of the gaged site. The DFDC is then made dimensional by multiplying by the bankfull discharge of the site of interest and the resulting dimensional FDC is taken as the FDC of the ungaged site. The USGS regression equations underpredicted the discharges while Rosgen's DFDC method overpredicted them. Rosgen's DFDC method produced more accurate results than the USGS regression equations for Weminuche Creek. To calculate the effective discharge, the FDC was used to develop a flow frequency curve which was then multiplied by the sediment rating curve. Effective discharge calculations were performed for Weminuche Creek using several combinations of bed material load prediction equations and FDCs. The USGS regression equations, Rosgen's DFDC method, and streamgage data were all used in conjunction with the Yang and Pagosa equations. The Brownlie equation predicted zero bed material load for Weminuche Creek, and was thus not used to calculate the effective discharge. When the USGS regression equations were used with the Yang and Pagosa equations, the calculated effective discharge was approximately 4.5 cms for both bed material load prediction equations. When Rosgen's DFDC method and streamgage data were used with the Yang and Pagosa equations, the effective discharge was approximately 13.5 cms. From these results, it was determined that the bed material load prediction equations had little impact on the effective discharge for Weminuche Creek while the FDCs did influence the results.

The increasing intensity and frequency of precipitation in recent decades, combined with the human interventions in watersheds, has drastically altered the natural regimes of water and sediment transport in watersheds over the whole contiguous United States. Sediment-transport related concerns include the sustainability of aquatic biology, the stability of the river morphology, and the security and vulnerability of various riverine structures. For the present context, the concerns are related to the acceleration of upland erosion (sediment production) and in-stream sediment-transport processes that eventually lead to sediment accumulation at culverts (structures that pass streams under roadways). This nuisance has become widespread in many transportation agencies in the United States, as it has a direct bearing on maintaining normal culvert operations during extreme flows when these waterway crossings are essential for the communities they serve. Despite the prevalence of culvert sedimentation, current specifications for culvert design do not typically consider aspects of sediment transport and deposition. The overall study objective is to systematically identify the likelihood of culvert sedimentation as a function of stream and culvert geometry, along with landscape characteristics (process drivers of culvert sedimentation) in the culvert drainage area. The ideal approach for predicting sedimentation is to track sediment sources dislocated from the watershed, their overland movement, and their delivery into the streams using physical-based modeling. However, there are considerable knowledge gaps in addressing the sedimentation at culverts as an end-to-end process, especially in connecting the upland with in-stream processes and simulating the sediment deposition at culverts in non-uniform, unsteady flows, while also taking into account the vegetation growth in culverts’ vicinity. It is, therefore, no surprise that existing research, textbooks, and guidelines do not typically provide adequate information on sediment control at culverts. This dissertation presents a generalizable data-driven framework that integrates various machine-learning and visual analytics techniques with GIS in a web-based geospatial platform to explore the complex environmental processes of culvert sedimentation. The framework offers systematic procedures for (1) classifying the culvert sedimentation degree using a time-series of aerial images; (2) identifying key process-drivers from a variety of environmental and culvert structural characteristics through feature selections and interactive visual interfaces; (3) supporting human interactions to perceive empirical relationships between drivers and the culvert sedimentation degree through multivariate Geovisualization and Self-Organizing Map (SOM); and (4) forecasting culvert sedimentation potential across Iowa using machine learning algorithms. Developed using modular design and atop national datasets, the framework is generalizable and extendable, and therefore can be applied to address similar river management issues, such as habitat deterioration and water pollution, at the Contiguous US scale. The platform developed through this Ph.D. study offers a web-based problem-solving environment for a) managing inventory and retrieving culvert structural information; b) integrating diverse culvert-related datasets (e.g., culvert inventory, hydrological and land use data, and observations on the degree of sedimentation in the vicinity of culverts) in a digital repository; c) supporting culvert field inspections and real-time data collection through mobile devices; and d) hosting the data-driven framework for exploring culvert sedimentation drivers and forecasting culvert sedimentation potential across Iowa. Insights provided through the data-driven framework can be applied to support decisions for culvert management and sedimentation mitigation, as well as to provide suggestions on parameter selections for the design of these structures.

The SUPERTANK dataset is analyzed to examine the upper limit of beach change in response to elevated water level induced by wave runup. Thirty SUPERTANK runs are investigated, including both erosional and accretionary wave conditions under random and monochromatic waves. Two experiments, one under a spilling and one under a plunging breaker-type, from the Large-Scale Sediment Transport Facility (LSTF) are also analyzed. The upper limit of beach change approximately equals the maximum vertical excursion of swash runup. Exceptions to this direct relationship are those with beach or dune scarps when gravity-driven changes, i.e., avalanching, become significant. The vertical extent of wave runup, Rmax, above mean water level on a beach without a scarp is found to approximately equal the significant breaking wave height, Hbs. Therefore, a simple formula Rmax = Hbs is proposed. The linear relationship between maximum runup and breaking wave height is supported by a conceptual derivation. This predictive formula reproduced the measured runup from a large-scale 3-dimensional movable bed physical model. Beach and dune scarps substantially limit the uprush of swash motion, resulting in a much reduced maximum runup. Predictions of wave runup are not improved by including a slope-dependent surf-similarity parameter. The limit of wave runup is substantially less for monochromatic waves than for random waves, attributed to absence of low-frequency motion for monochromatic waves.