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<br />r <br /> <br />Andrews and Nelson <br /> <br />471 <br /> <br />vertical and horizontal advection by the mean flow field. Although the full problem <br />is tractable, often the computations can be greatly simplified and treated in a less <br />computationally intensive manner. Where the suspended sediment concentration <br />profile responds to spatial variations in boundary shear stress over horizontal length <br />scales that are short compared to the spatial scales of the bed topography, <br />quasi-uniformity may be assumed. This assumption implies that the local <br />concentration profile is in equilibrium with the local boundary stress. Under such <br />conditions, the analysis of Rouse 119371 is correct at the lowest order. This <br />approximation is similar to one used in the flow model described herein, where the <br />spatial distribution of acceleration and deceleration was assumed to have a weak <br />effect on the vertical structure of the primary flow. <br />Assuming a quasi-uniform vertical structure for the sediment concentration field <br />allows the application of a total sediment load equation, wherein both the bedload <br />and suspended load fluxes are calculated using a single expression. One of the <br />better known of these equations is the Engelund-Hansen [1967] equation, given by <br /> <br />.08 T.5/2 <br /> <br />q, <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />= <br /> <br />(1) <br /> <br />f <br /> <br />where q, is the volumetric transport rate per unit width, p, and p are the densities <br />of the sediment and fluid, respectively, d is the particle size in transport, T. is the <br />dimensionless shear stress, and f is the friction factor (drag coefficient). <br />Given the distribution of boundary shear stress and the particle size, one can <br />calculate the sediment flux at each location on the bed using the Engeiund-Hansen <br />equation. A correction for the effect of form drag on the skin friction boundary <br />shear stress is an implicit part of this equation. As a result, this equation can only <br />be expected to retain validity where bedforms are similar to those in the <br />experiments used in calibrating the equation. In addition, this expression can be <br />expected to yield reasonable results only when the ratio of skin friction boundary <br />shear stress to the critical shear stress is large (large transport stage), because it <br />contains no critical shear stress dependence. Furthermore, the expression is <br />applicable only where the spatial scales over which bottom stress varies are long <br />compared to the distance a particle is advected while it settles. The <br />Engelund-Hansen equation was calibrated using transport stages (ratio of boundary <br />to critical shear stress) and sediment sizes and size distributions similar to those <br />found in the Green River, and it can be expected to give good predictions of local <br />sediment fluxes in the case of interest. <br />Given the direction and magnitude of boundary shear stress at a point on the <br />bed, the local vector sediment flux was calculated using the Engelund-Hansen <br />equation. Then, the streamwise and cross-stream components of the local vector <br />sediment flux were determined. This approach neglects the relatively weak <br />redistribution of suspended sediment by secondary currents and is justified because <br />most of the suspended sediment is near the. bed,wheJ;"e the flow direction is <br />approximately the same as tbe boundary shear stress. Because a vast majority of <br />the sediment flux is suspended, no gravitational correction was included.. . <br /> <br />Evolution of Channel Topography <br /> <br />Channel configuration may change with time as a result of two distinctly <br />different mechanisms. First, the channel may evolve due to erosion and deposition <br />of sediment which makes up the channel bed and banks. The so-called "erosion <br />equation" relates the flux of sediment to the rates of erosion and deposition of the <br />bed as follows: <br /> <br /> <br />".-.-',.-. <br /> <br /> <br />. ,1tlIr:......, "l~~ <br />