OCEAN/ESS 410

Lecture/Lab Learning Goals

•  Know how sediments are characterized (size and
shape)
15. Physics of Sediment •  Know the definitions of kinematic and dynamic
viscosity, eddy viscosity, and specific gravity
Transport •  Understand Stokes settling and its limitation in real
sedimentary systems.
William Wilcock •  Understand the structure of bottom boundary layers
(based in part on lectures by Jeff Parsons) and the equations that describe them
•  Be able to interpret observations of current velocity in
the bottom boundary layer in terms of whether
sediments move and if they move as bottom or
suspended loads – LAB

1 2

φ Diameter, Type of
Sediment D material
-6 64 mm Cobbles Sediment Characterization
Characterization -5 32 mm Coarse Gravel
Sediment grain smoothness
-4 16 mm Gravel

•  There are number of -3 8 mm Gravel

ways to describe the -2 4 mm Pea Gravel

size of sediment. -1 2 mm Coarse Sand

One of the most 0 1 mm Coarse Sand

popular is the Φ 1 0.5 mm Medium Sand

Sediment grain shape - spherical, elongated, or flattened
2 0.25 mm Fine Sand
scale. Sediment sorting
3 125 µm Fine Sand
φ = -log2(D) 4 63 µm Coarse Silt
D = diameter in

% Finer
5 32 µm Coarse Silt

millimeters. 6 16 µm Medium Silt

•  To get D from φ 7 8 µm Fine Silt

8 4 µm Fine Silt
D = 2-φ
9 2 µm Clay 3 4
Grain size

1
 Sediment Transport
Two important concepts
• Gravitational forces - sediment settling out of
suspension
• Current-generated bottom shear stresses - Definitions
sediment transport in suspension (suspended
load) or along the bottom (bedload)

Shields stress - brings these concepts together

empirically to tell us when and how sediment
transport occurs

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1. Dynamic and Kinematic Viscosity 2. Molecular and Eddy Viscosities

Molecular kinematic viscosity:
The Dynamic Viscosity µ is a measure of how much a property of FLUID
The molecular kinematic
fluid resists shear. It has units of kg m-1 s-1
as the ‘kinematic viscosi
The Kinematic viscosity ν is defined
the fluid and is the appro
Eddy kinematic viscosity: laminar. It quantifies the
property of FLOW
µ collision of molecules. (It
ν= viscous).
ρf
In flows in nature (ocean), eddy
viscosity is MUCH MORE
IMPORTANT! The Eddy Kinematic Visc
where ρf is the density of the fluid. ν has units of m2 s-1,
and is the appropriate vis
the units of a diffusion coefficient. It measures how
flow. It quantities the diffu
quickly velocity perturbations diffuse through the fluid. About 104 times more important
“packets” of fluid that oc
flow when the flow is turb
7 8

2
 3. Submerged Specific Gravity, R

ρp − ρ f
R=
ρf Sediment Settling
ρp
Typical values:
ρa f
Quartz = Kaolinite = 1.6
Magnetite = 4.1
Coal, Flocs < 1

9 10

Settling Velocity: Stokes settling Settling Speed

Settling velocity (ws) from the balance of two forces - Fd = Fg
Balance of Forces
gravitational (Fg) and drag forces (Fd)
Fd ∝ ( Diameter ) × ( Settling Speed ) (
Dws µ = k ρ p − ρ f D 3 g ) Write balance using
relationships on last slide
× ( Molecular Dynamic Viscosity )
k is a constant
∝ Dws µ
ws =k
(ρ p )
− ρ f D2 g
µ
Fg ∝ ( Excess Density ) × ( Volume )
× ( Acceleration of Gravity ) ws = k
(ρ p − ρf ρf ) D2 g
Use definitions of specific
ρf µ gravity, R and kinematic
( ) ( )
∝ ρ p − ρ f Vg ∝ ρ p − ρ f D 3 g viscosity ν
1 RgD 2
ws =
18 ν k turns out to be 1/18
∝ means "proportional 11to" 12

3
 Limits of Stokes Settling
Equation
1.  Assumes smooth, small, spherical particles - rough
particles settle more slowly
2.  Grain-grain interference - dense concentrations Boundary Layers
settle more slowly
3.  Flocculation - joining of small particles (especially
clays) as a result of chemical and/or biological
processes - bigger diameter increases settling rate
4.  Assumes laminar settling (ignores turbulence)
5.  Settling velocity for larger particles determined
empirically
13 14

Bottom Boundary Layers

The layer (of thickness δ) in which velocities change from zero at the boundary
to a velocity that is unaffected by the boundary

δ is likely
the water
u depth for
z
Outer region δ river flow.

x
z ~ O(δ)
y δ is a few
Intermediate layer tens of
meters for
currents
at the
Inner region seafloor
•  Inner region is dominated by wall roughness and viscosity
•  Intermediate layer is both far from outer edge and wall (log layer)
15
•  Outer region is affected by the outer flow (or free surface) 16

4
 Shear stress in a fluid
Shear stresses at the seabed lead to sediment transport The inner region (viscous sublayer)

z
•  Only ~ 1-5 mm thick
•  In this layer the flow is laminar so the molecular
y x kinematic viscosity must be used

∂u ∂u
force rate of change of momentum τ=µ = ρ fν
τ = shear stress =
area
=
area ∂z ∂z
Unfortunately the inner layer it is too thin for practical field
measurements to determine τ directly
∂u ∂u
τ=µ = ρ fν
∂z ∂z 17 18

Shear velocity u*
The log (turbulent intermediate) layer Sediment dynamicists define a quantity known as the
characteristic shear velocity, u*
•  Generally from about 1-5 mm to 0.1δ (a few meters) ∂u
above bed u*2 = ν e
∂z
•  Dominated by turbulent eddies
∂u
•  Can be represented by: τ = ρν e = ρu*2 = Constant
∂u ∂z
τ = ρν e
∂z The simplest model for the eddy viscosity is Prandtl’s
model which states that
where νe is “turbulent eddy viscosity”
ν e = κu* z
This layer is thick enough to make measurements and Turbulent motions (and therefore νe) are constrained to be
fortunately the balance of forces requires that the proportional to the distance to the bed z, with the constant,
shear stresses are the same in this layer as in the κ, the von Karman constant which has a value of 0.4
inner region 19 20

5
Velocity distribution of natural (rough)
What the log-layer actually looks like
boundary layers
z lnz
From the equations on the previous slide we get
not applicable because
du
ρκu* z = ρu*2 of free-surface/
dz outer-flow effects slope = u* /κ
0.1δ z
Integrating this yields not applicable because
of free-surface/
Slope = κ/u
*
u (z) 1 z
outer-flow effects ~30D
lnz0 = 0.4/u
κ 0.1δ *
= ln ⇒ ln z = ln z0 + u (z) log layer U
κ z0
log layer

u* u*
~ 30D
viscous sublayer
Plot ln(z) against the mean velocity
z0 is a constant of integration. It is sometimes called the U
u to estimate u* and then estimate
roughness length because it is often proportional to the the shear stress from
Z0~ 30D
particles that generate roughness of the bed (a value of viscous sublayer
τ = ρ f u*2
z0 ≈ 30D is sometimes assumed but it is quite variable U
and it is best determined from flow measurements) 21 22

Shields Stress

When will transport occur and by

what mechanism?

23 24

6
 Hjulström Diagram
Shields stress and the critical shear stress

•  The Shields stress, or Shields parameter, is:

τ
θf =
( )
ρ p − ρ f gD

•  Shields (1936) first proposed an empirical

relationship to find θc, the critical Shields shear stress
to induce motion, as a function of the particle
Reynolds number,
Rep = u*D/ν

25 26

Shields curve (after Miller et al., 1977) Initiation of Suspension

- Based on empirical observations If u* > ws, (i.e., shear velocity > settling velocity) then
material will be suspended.
Tra
n sit Suspension Transitional transport
ion mechanism. Compare Bedload
al Sediment Transport
u* and ws

Transitional
No Transport No Transport

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