Sedimentation analysis involves the study of sediments and the mechanisms by which they are transported, eroded, and deposited. The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's (ERDC's) Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) is involved in a number of estuarine and riverine studies dealing with such areas as: the transport, erosion, and deposition of sediments; behavior and characteristics of sediment beds; analysis of sediment composition for specific applications; evaluation of sediments to determine dredging needs; and forecasting of erosion and/or deposition. These studies are required primarily by U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Districts. Sediment studies can take the form of numerical modeling studies or desktop studies. Numerical modeling studies assess the effects on sedimentation of implementing a proposed alteration to a particular study area, or system. For example, before a channel is deepened, researchers would look at how it would affect shoaling or erosion of the system. Questions they would try to resolve might include whether the harbor would be harder to maintain after completion of the project; if it would damage the shoreline; or what would be the environmental impacts of sediments being deposited in the area or removed from it. A desktop study is a less computationally-intensive method of evaluating changes in sediment erosion and deposition by analyzing the composition and cohesiveness of the sediments present in a specific area and arriving at a prediction of sediment deposition and/or erosion based on these characteristics and traditional mathematical computations. Desktop studies are site-specific and more limited in scope than a numerical model, yet they are a reliable and less costly tool for many applications. |
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