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Characteristics of Resuspension, Settling and Diffusion of Particulate Matter in a Water Column

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Abstract

Experiments were conducted in order to characterize the distributions of concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in water columns of lakes and reservoirs. The experiments, in a reduced model of the water column, used a set of oscillating grids. Runs were done with particles denser than water as well as with light particles. The results were in good agreement with analytical solutions for steady-state, and non-steady-state conditions. An approximate analytical solution was derived and found to be in agreement with the full solution. The threshold for resuspension was measured, and characterized in terms of a modified Shields parameter, which is appropriate to a zero-shear environment. All experiments showed that the distribution of SPM exhibited a layer near the bottom that is thought to be analogous to the benthic nepheloid layer (BNL) observed in larger lakes. The thickness of the nepheloid layer increases with the turbulence intensity.

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Abbreviations

BNL:

benthic nepheloid layer

DPIV:

digital particle imaging velocimetry

OFS:

optical flow systems ltd

PIV:

particle image velocimetry

RMS:

root-mean-square velocity

SPM:

suspended particulate matter

TKE:

turbulent kinetic energy

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel

    Michael Belinsky, Hillel Rubin & Yehuda Agnon

  2. Department of Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel

    Eliezer Kit

  3. Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA

    Joseph F. Atkinson

Authors
  1. Michael Belinsky
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  2. Hillel Rubin
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  3. Yehuda Agnon
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  4. Eliezer Kit
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  5. Joseph F. Atkinson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yehuda Agnon.

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Belinsky, M., Rubin, H., Agnon, Y. et al. Characteristics of Resuspension, Settling and Diffusion of Particulate Matter in a Water Column. Environ Fluid Mech 5, 415–441 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-004-7302-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-004-7302-3

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