Effect of biota on fine sediment transport processes: A study of Lake Markermeer

Over the years, Lake Markermeer, formerly a sea arm of the North Sea, has experienced a decline in some of its ecological values. A high suspended sediment concentration in the water column of the lake is believed to be one of the causes of this ecological deterioration. Currently, short term suspended sediment dynamics are well understood. This...

Sand-mud erosion from a soil mechanical perspective

‘Wetlands’ in tidal lagoons and estuaries are among the most valuable ecosystems in the world. Managing these systems requires both a thorough knowledge and validated tools to predict their behavior and development. An important morpho-dynamic process herein is the erosion (‘pick-up’) of the bed, which are in inter-tidal areas often composed of...

Evolution of the floc size distribution of cohesive sediments

This thesis focuses on the flocculation process of cohesive sediment (mud) and in particular on the time evolution of the floc size distribution. Mud is mainly observed in estuarine environment and its settling velocity is strongly affected by its floc size distribution. Small flocs (1-50 micrometers) have a very small settling velocity and tend...

On the hindered settling of suspensions of mud and mud-sand mixtures

Highly concentrated suspensions are present in many natural environments. When the concentration becomes large enough, particles start to interfere with each other and their settling velocity reduces. This is called hindered settling. As a result of the reduced settling velocity, particles remain in the water column for a longer time and the...

Flocculation Dynamics of cohesive sediment

Cohesive sediment suspended in natural waters is subject not only to transport and deposition processes but also to reactions of flocculation, \textit{i.e.} aggregation of fine particles, and breakup of aggregates. Although aggregation and breakup occur at small and very small length scales compared to transport and deposition, flocculation can...

Liquefaction of Cohesive Sediments caused by Waves