RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The exceptional sediment load of fine-grained dispersal systems: Example of the Yellow River, China
JF Science Advances
JO Sci Adv
FD American Association for the Advancement of Science
SP e1603114
DO 10.1126/sciadv.1603114
VO 3
IS 5
A1 Ma, Hongbo
A1 Nittrouer, Jeffrey A.
A1 Naito, Kensuke
A1 Fu, Xudong
A1 Zhang, Yuanfeng
A1 Moodie, Andrew J.
A1 Wang, Yuanjian
A1 Wu, Baosheng
A1 Parker, Gary
YR 2017
UL http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/5/e1603114.abstract
AB Sedimentary dispersal systems with fine-grained beds are common, yet the physics of sediment movement within them remains poorly constrained. We analyze sediment transport data for the best-documented, fine-grained river worldwide, the Huanghe (Yellow River) of China, where sediment flux is underpredicted by an order of magnitude according to well-accepted sediment transport relations. Our theoretical framework, bolstered by field observations, demonstrates that the Huanghe tends toward upper-stage plane bed, yielding minimal form drag, thus markedly enhancing sediment transport efficiency. We present a sediment transport formulation applicable to all river systems with silt to coarse-sand beds. This formulation demonstrates a remarkably sensitive dependence on grain size within a certain narrow range and therefore has special relevance to silt-sand fluvial systems, particularly those affected by dams.