Tidal Hydraulics (EM 1110-2-1607), Chapter 4: Sedimentation Analysis of Estuaries

This chapter deals with sediment in estuaries, where shoaling often determines the cost of keeping a channel open. It covers sediment sources, classification, and the difference between coarse sediment transport and cohesive sediment transport, along with the impact of tidal flow and geometry.

It explains how sediment is characterized, the transport parameters used, the causes of deposition, and consolidation. It then reviews the tools for studying sedimentation, including physical, analytical, numerical, and hybrid models, and the field data they require.

Engineers use this chapter to predict where and how fast a channel will fill and to judge whether a proposed project will change that rate.

In this chapter

• Introduction
• Sediment Sources
• Sediment Classification
• Coarse Sediment Transport
• Cohesive Sediment Transport
• Impact of Tidal Flow and Geometry
• Sediment Characterization
• Transport Parameters
• Causes of Sediment Deposition
• Consolidation
• Physical Models
• Analytical Models
• Numerical Models
• Hybrid Models
• Field Data Requirements