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On the variability of near-bed floc size due to complex interactions between turbulence, SSC, settling velocity, effective density and the fractal dimension of flocs

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Abstract

Interactions between turbulence, suspended sediment concentration (SSC), settling velocity, effective density, fractal dimension, and floc size were studied on the tide-dominated, muddy coastal shelf of the southwestern Yellow Sea, China. The measurements were carried out in July 2013 at two sites located in water depths of 21.2 and 22.1 m. Negative correlations were observed between shear rate, SSC, effective density, and mean floc size, which supports the results of previous numerical, experimental, and field studies. A significant positive correlation was observed between near-bed SSC and shear rate, an indication that SSC variations are controlled by turbulence and re-suspension. In addition, significant linear relationships were found between settling velocity and other parameters (floc size, turbulence, SSC, effective density, and fractal dimension) at the two sites, indicating that the controlling factors on settling velocity are spatially variable. Principal component analysis was applied to determine the relative importance of turbulence, flocculation ability, and SSC as controls on floc size in situ. The relative contributions of turbulence, flocculation ability, and SSC to floc size (at both sites) were ~33.0%, 30.3%, and 29.7%, respectively, this being a new field-based quantitative analysis of the controls on floc size. The findings demonstrate that, in nature, flocculation ability affects floc size to the same degree as turbulence and SSC. Therefore, predictions of floc size in coastal marine environments require constraints not only on turbulence and SSC, but also on flocculation ability.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Jian Hua Gao, Yang Yang, Jia Xue Wu, Yun Ling Liu, Ning Wang, Zhuo Chen Han, Can Xu, Ming Liang Li, Jing Dong Chen, and Run Qi Liu who participated in the field observations. Financial support was provided by the Key Laboratory of Marine Hydrocarbon Resources and Environmental Geology, Ministry of Land and Resources (MRE201201, 201211086-09), the Major State Basic Research Development Program (2013CB956502), the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41376044), and the PAPD of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions. Also gratefully acknowledged are constructive assessments by two anonymous reviewers on an earlier version of this article.

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  1. Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Yang Yang, Ya Ping Wang, Shu Gao, Benwei Shi, Liang Zhou, Dandan Wang, Gaocong Li & Chen Dai

  2. Key Laboratory of Marine Hydrocarbon Resources and Environmental Geology, Ministry of Land and Resources, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Yang Yang

  3. Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Chunyan Li

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Yang, Y., Wang, Y.P., Li, C. et al. On the variability of near-bed floc size due to complex interactions between turbulence, SSC, settling velocity, effective density and the fractal dimension of flocs. Geo-Mar Lett 36, 135–149 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-016-0434-x

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  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-016-0434-x

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