Sequential erosion/deposition experiments—demonstrating the effects of depositional history on sediment erosion

Experiments on the erosion of a bed of kaolinite were carried out in a rotating circular flume. Each experiment was carried out using the stratified bed which resulted from the previous experiment. Changes in suspended sediment concentrations during the experiments were explained by the history of the deposition. The sequence of experiments showed how the rate of erosion and the amount eroded reflected the structure of the bed and that of the individual flocs which created it. Results suggest that modelling of sediment/contaminant transport needs to account for the manner in which deposition took place.