Near-bottom stratified currents and sediment transport in reservoirs and lakes

Results of field and theoretical studies of suspension transport by density currents are presented. The suspension transport is described by a mathematical model taking into account turbulent roiling and involvement, sedimentation, and bed erosion, variations in the vertical component of mean velocity, the relationship between the particles' settling velocity and the distribution of their concentrations between the near-bottom and the overlaying water, on the one hand, and flow stability and velocity, on the other hand. The theoretical distributions of suspension concentrations are compared with those measured in 20 flows in nine reservoirs and lakes. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc. 2006.