Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Relationship between eddy viscosity of seawater and eddy diffusivity of suspended particles

  • Published:
Geo-Marine Letters Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A method is described to calculate the relationship (β) between the eddy diffusivity of suspended particles and the eddy viscosity of the fluid. The data were obtained while making suspended sediment concentration measurements near the seabed on the British continental shelf. β was calculated for 0.50 size fractions and varies inversely with the suspended sediment concentration. The values were used successfully to calculate suspended sediment transport rates for separate sand fractions through a spring tidal cycle. Finally, specific values of β are suggested for varying concentrations of sand at a reference height of 100 cm above the seabed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Swart, D. H., 1976. Computation of longshore transport. Delft Hydraulics Laboratory Report No. R968, 61 p.

  2. Carstens, M. R., 1952. Accelerated motion of a spherical particle. Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, v. 33, p. 713–721.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Graf, W. H., 1971. Hydraulics of Sediment Transport. McGraw-Hill, New York, 513 p.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Shepard, F. P., 1967. Submarine Geology. Harper, New York, 2nd ed., 557 p.

    Google Scholar 

  5. von Kármán, T., 1948. Progress in the statistical theory of turbulence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, v. 34, p. 539–565.

  6. Prandtl, L., 1925–26. Über die Ausgebildete Türbülenz. Proceedings of the 2nd International Congress of Applied Mechanics, Zurich, v. 5, p. 136–160.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Lees, B. J., 1980. Sizewell-Dunwich Banks Field Study. Topic Report: I. Introduction and geological background. Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Report No. 88, 41 p.

  8. Heathershaw, A. D., and Hammond, F. D. C., 1979. Swansea Bay (Sker) Project. Topic Report: 6. Offshore sediment movement and its relation to observed tidal current and wave data. Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Report No. 93, 119 p.

  9. Taylor, P. A., and Dyer, K. R., 1977. Theoretical models of flow near the bed and their implications for sediment transport. In: E. D. Goldberg and others (eds.), The Sea, v. 6, Wiley Interscience, New York, p. 579–601.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Lees, B. J., and Heathershaw, A. D., 1981. Sizewell-Dunwich Banks Field Study. Topic Report: 5. Offshore sediment movement and its relation to observed tidal current and wave data. Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Report No. 123, 113 p.

  11. Stanford, P. N., 1977. Data processing: Annual Progress Report for Sedimentary Processes in the Southwest Approaches. Department of Geology, University of Bristol, 40 p.

  12. Vanoni, V. A., 1963. Sediment transportation mechanics: suspension of sediment (Progress Report of Task Committee). Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, v. 89, No. HY5, p. 45–76.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Adams, C. E. Jr., and Weatherly, G. L., 1981. Some effects of suspended sediment stratification on an oceanic bottom boundary layer. Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 86, p. 4161–4172.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Coleman, N. L., 1981. Velocity profiles with suspended sediment. Journal of Hydraulic Research, v. 19, p. 211–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Brush, L. M., Ho, H. W., and Singamsetti, S. R., 1962. A study of sediment in suspension. International Association of Scientific Hydrology, Commission for Land Erosion (Bari), Publication No. 59.

  16. Matyukhin, V. J., and Prokofyev, O. N., 1966. Experimental determination of the coefficient of vertical turbulent diffusion in water for settling particles. Soviet Hydrology. American Geophysical Union, v. 3.

  17. Majumdar, H., and Carstens, M. R., 1967. Diffusion of particles by turbulence: Effect of particle size. Water Research Center, WRC-0967. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Simons, D. B., and Senturk, F., 1977. Sediment transport technology, Water Resources Publications. Fort Collins, Colorado, 600 p.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Coleman, N. L., 1970. Flume studies of the sediment transfer coefficient, Water Resources Research, v. 6, no. 3.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Raudkivi, A. J., 1976. Loose Boundary Hydraulics. Pergamon Press, Oxford, 2nd. ed., 397 p.

    Google Scholar 

  21. McCave, I. N., 1973. Some boundary-layer characteristics of tidal currents bearing sand in suspension. Mémoires Société Royale des Sciences de Liège, v. 6, p. 187–206.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Chien, N., 1956. The present status of research on sediment transport. Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, v. 121, p. 833–884.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Jobson, H. E., and Sayre, W. W., 1970. Vertical transfer in an open channel flow. Journal of the Hydraulics Division, American Society of Civil Engineers, v. 96, No. HY3, p. 703–724.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Oceanographic Sciences (Taunton), Crossway, TA1 2DW, Taunton, Somerset, UK

    B. J. Lees

Authors
  1. B. J. Lees
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lees, B.J. Relationship between eddy viscosity of seawater and eddy diffusivity of suspended particles. Geo-Marine Letters 1, 249–254 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462442

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462442

Keywords

Search

Navigation