Quantifying suspended sediment using multi-frequency echosounder measurements: Assessing the potential of single instrument sediment concentration inversions that account for variations in particle size

Echosounders are used to monitor suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) in coastal management studies and to monitor dredge plumes. Due to the dependency on sediment properties like particle size, shape and density, performance of single frequency measurements is limited when sediment properties are changing.<br/><br/>Using multi-frequency...

Characterizing the Composition of Sand and Mud Suspensions in Coastal and Estuarine Environments Using Combined Optical and Acoustic Measurements

Quantifying and characterizing suspended sediment is essential to successful monitoring and management of estuaries and coastal environments. To quantify suspended sediment, optical and acoustic backscatter instruments are often used. Optical backscatter systems are more sensitive to mud particles (&lt;63 μm) and flocs, whereas acoustic...

Acoustic mapping and monitoring of the seabed: From single-frequency to multispectral multibeam backscatter

With the increasing human activities in the marine environment, such as fisheries, dredging, coastal protection or construction of marine infrastructure, seabed sediment and habitat mapping have become highly relevant for the development of sustainable marine management strategies. Compared to traditional mapping methods, primarily based on bed...

Monitoring underwater nourishments using multibeam bathymetric and backscatter time series

Natural and man-induced coastal erosion endanger life and environment in coastal areas worldwide. For sedimentary barrier coasts, beach and underwater nourishments are an efficient coastal protection strategy. To optimize nourishments and to understand their impact on the marine environment, monitoring strategies are required. In this study,...

Seafloor classification in a sand wave environment on the Dutch continental shelf using multibeam echosounder backscatter data

High resolution maps of sandy seafloors are valuable to understand seafloor dynamics, plan engineering projects, and create detailed benthic habitat maps. This paper presents multibeam echosounder backscatter classification results of the Brown Bank area of the North Sea. We apply the Bayesian classification method in a megaripple and sand...

Cross-shore suspended sediment transport in relation to topographic changes in the intertidal zone of a macro-tidal beach (Mariakerke, Belgium)

Sediment transport is a key element in intertidal beach morphodynamics, but measurements of sediment transport are often unreliable. The aim of this study is to quantify and investigate cross-shore sediment transport and the resulting topographic changes for a tide-dominated, sandy beach. Two fortnight-long field experiments were carried out...