Application of acoustics for measuring nearbed sediment processes: an integrated approach

Results are reported from an experiment in which an integrated acoustics approach was used to study suspended sediment transport processes. To measure concentration and particle size profiles of the sediments in suspension triple frequency acoustic backscattering, ABS, was used. To obtain current profiles two complementary techniques were used: a coherent Doppler velocity profiler, CDVP, and a cross-correlation velocity profiler CCVP. To ascertain the local bed morphology a radial scanning sand ripple profiler, SRP, was used. The combined use of these systems provided integrated measurements of the topography, hydrodynamics and suspended sediments, and such synthesis is expected to advance the study of nearbed sediment processes