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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Watershed Physical Processes Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #90200
Title: MEASUREMENT OF SEDIMENT LOAD IN AGRICULTURAL WATERSHEDS USING ACOUSTIC TECHNOLOGY.

Author
item Kuhnle, Roger
item DERROW, ROBERT - UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
item Alonso, Carlos

Submitted to: Sediment Technology for the 21st Century
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: For many years, the National Sedimentation Laboratory has been a leader in sediment transport research. Research on sediment transport is currently being conducted in laboratory flumes and in Demonstration Erosion Control (DEC) Watersheds. The majority of the sampling effort on the DEC watersheds has been concentrated on the Goodwin Creek Experimental Watershed. Basic concepts in sediment transport developed from experiments conducted under controlled conditions in the laboratory are tested with field data collected on agricultural watersheds. The knowledge gained about sediment transport is incorporated into integrated watershed models (AGNPS, FRAME) which provide our clients with tools needed to make informed management decisions concerning agricultural watersheds. The high manpower demands imposed by today's total load sampling procedures makes it imperative to explore less expensive methods. To this end, new automatic instruments for the measurement of sediment in transport in laboratory flumes and field streams are being developed in a cooperative project by researchers from the National Sedimentation Laboratory (NSL) and researchers from the National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA). Employing acoustics and modern electronics these new instruments will have the potential to lower the costs of collecting sediment transport data and increase the number and coverage of runoff events which are sampled. Three different acoustic sediment measuring devices are under development at the NSL and NCPA. These are the SedBed Monitor (SBM), the Suspended Sediment Measurement System (SSMS), and the Acoustic Gravel Transport Sensor (AGTS).