Acosta, Dharryl

BSCE-5

Sediment transport
Is the movement of solid particles (sediment), typically due to a combination of gravity
acting on the sediment, and/or the movement of the fluid in which the sediment is
entrained. Sediment transport occurs in natural systems where the particles
are clastic rocks (sand, gravel, boulders, etc.), mud, or clay; the fluid is air, water, or ice;
and the force of gravity acts to move the particles along the sloping surface on which
they

are

resting.

Sediment

transport

due

to

fluid

motion

occurs

in rivers, oceans, lakes, seas, and other bodies of water due to currents and tides.
Transport is also caused by glaciersas they flow, and on terrestrial surfaces under the
influence of wind. Sediment transport due only to gravity can occur on sloping surfaces in general,
including hillslopes, scarps, cliffs, and the continental shelfcontinental slope boundary.
Sediment

transport

is

important

in

the

fields

of sedimentary

geology, geomorphology, civil

engineering and environmental engineering (see applications, below). Knowledge of sediment transport is most
often used to determine whether erosion ordeposition will occur, the magnitude of this erosion or deposition,
and the time and distance over which it will occur

Aeolian
Aeolian or eolian (depending on the parsing of ) is the term for sediment transport
by wind. This process results in the formation of ripples and sand dunes. Typically,
the size of the transported sediment is fine sand (<1 mm) and smaller, becauseair is
a fluid with low density and viscosity, and can therefore not exert very much shear on
its bed.

Fluvial
In geology, physical geography, and sediment transport, fluvial processes relate to flowing water in natural
systems. This encompasses rivers, streams, periglacial flows, flash floods and glacial lake outburst floods.
Sediment moved by water can be larger than sediment moved by air because water has both a

higher density and viscosity. In typical rivers the largest carried sediment is
of sand and gravel size, but larger floods can carry cobbles and even boulders.

Coastal
Coastal sediment transport takes place in near-shore environments due to the motions
of waves and currents. At the mouths of rivers, coastal sediment and fluvial sediment
transport processes mesh to create river deltas.
Coastal sediment transport results in the formation of characteristic coastal landforms
such as beaches, barrier islands, and capes.[5]

Glacial
As glaciers move over their beds, they entrain and move material of all sizes. Glaciers
can carry the largest sediment, and areas of glacial deposition often contain a large
number of glacial erratics, many of which are several metres in diameter.

Hillslope
In hillslope sediment transport, a variety of processes move regolith downslope. These include:

Soil creep

Tree throw

Movement of soil by burrowing animals

Slumping and landsliding of the hillslope

Debris flow
Large masses of material are moved in debris flows, hyperconcentrated mixtures of mud, clasts that range up
to boulder-size, and water. Debris flows move asgranular flows down steep mountain valleys and washes.
Because they transport sediment as a granular mixture, their transport mechanisms and capacities scale
differently from those of fluvial systems.