Objective There is a great need for reliable measurements of sediment properties and transport for field studies, in particular along coasts and in estuaries. Especially, it is now increasingly recognized that better field data are required to ensure the proper validation and calibration of rather sophisticated sediment transport models. However, suitable instrumentation is not available at present. The general objective of the project is to make the first step to fill this gap using wide band acoustic methods (frequency range from 100 kHz to 100 MHz). The advantage over more traditional techniques is that a single instrument can provide estimates of profiles in the water column or near the seabed. The measured parameters are the sediment concentration (range: about 0.01 - 10 kg/m3), the particle size distribution (range: about 5-500 um), and, in combination with standard Doppler techniques, the sediment transport. The first goal of the project is to provide a knowledge base on the subject. At present there is a lack of physical knowledge regarding the interaction process between the acoustic waves and the sediment particles. To obtain this, carefully tuned experimental and theoretical research will be carried out. The second main objective is to detail this knowledge further, both theoretically and experimentally, in order to make it directly useful for the development of instrumentation for suspended sediment characterization. For example, the general fundamental theoretical model description will be extended, in order to describe real experimental conditions (e.g. geometry and patterns of the acoustic beams). This will allow a detailed comparison with experimental results and is needed for the design of research-phase instrumentation. In parallel (third objective), a research-phase acoustical instrument will be developed, tested and compared with optical instrumentation (under development outside the scope of the present project). A combination of acoustic and optical methods, which could extend the size range down to about 0.1 um at low concentrations (below 1 kg/m3), will be evaluated. Fields of science natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesgeologysedimentologynatural sciencesphysical sciencesacousticsnatural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicsgeometry Programme(s) FP3-MAST 2 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of marine science and technology, 1990-1994 Topic(s) 0302 - Underwater acoustics Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator STICHTING WATERLOOPKUNDIG LABORATORIUM (WL/DELFT HYDRAULICS) Address 185,rotterdamseweg 185 2600 MH Delft Netherlands See on map EU contribution No data Participants (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Danmarks Tekniske Universitet Denmark EU contribution € 0,00 Address 100,lundtoftevej 2800 Lyngby See on map Other funding No data IFREMER - INSTITUT FRANÇAIS DE RECHERCHE POUR L'EXPLOITATION DE LA MER France EU contribution € 0,00 Address Technopôle de brest - iroise 29280 Plouzane See on map Other funding No data
