A new analytical model describes how the amount and grain size of sediment transported by rivers influences bedrock channel width, which can be used to predict where rivers will widen or narrow.
Sediment transport
From Blowing Wind to Running Water: Unifying Sediment Transport
Laboratory experiments and grain-scale computer simulations during the past decade have led to a more universal understanding of flow-driven sediment transport across flows in oil, water, and air.
Tracing the Past Through Layers of Sediment
Signals in layers of sedimentary rock hint at climates and ecosystems come and gone. Understanding this history can help us forecast the future, but challenges abound.
Treating Colloids as Clusters Better Predicts Their Behavior
New research suggests that an accurate prediction of colloidal particle mobilization in the environment should account for the effect of clustering.
How Are Sediment Pulses Generated?
A new long-term flume experiment shows that bed load gravel travels downstream in recurring, 10-hour pulses even when water flow and sediment supply are constant.
On Integrating Sedimentology and Hydrogeology in Streambeds
A new modeling blueprint seeks to unify sedimentology, hydrology, and hydrogeology in the modeling of streambeds.
Boulders Limit Transport of Sand and Gravel in Steep Rivers
Mountain rivers and streams actively reshape landscapes by eroding material from uplands and depositing it in lowlands. Scientists can now predict this transport in very steep streams.
Evidence Found for China's Ancient Origin Story
New geological findings suggest that an ancient flood in a popular legend about the birth of China's civilization might have actually occurred, but some 150 years later than historians thought.
How Sediment Transport Sways Wetland Stability
Scientists examine the role of variables like tides and suspended sediment concentration to improve methods of evaluating coastal wetlands and how they may respond to future sea level rise.