Autogenic Formation of Bimodal Grain Size Distributions in Rivers and Its Contribution to Gravel‐Sand Transitions
| Title: | Autogenic Formation of Bimodal Grain Size Distributions in Rivers and Its Contribution to Gravel‐Sand Transitions |
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| Authors: | Chenge An, Gary Parker, Jeremy G. Venditti, Michael P. Lamb, Marwan A. Hassan, Hiroshi Miwa, Xudong Fu |
| Source: | Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 51, Iss 17, Pp n/a-n/a (2024) |
| Publisher Information: | Wiley, 2024. |
| Publication Year: | 2024 |
| Collection: | LCC:Geophysics. Cosmic physics |
| Subject Terms: | bimodality, gravel‐sand transition, bedload, suspended load, grain size distribution, Geophysics. Cosmic physics, QC801-809 |
| More Details: | Abstract Riverbeds often fine downstream, with a gravel‐bedded reach, a relatively abrupt gravel‐sand transition (GST), and a sand‐bedded reach. Underlying this behavior, bed grain size distributions are often bimodal, with a relative paucity (gap) around the range 1–5 mm. There is no general morphodynamic model capable of producing the grain size gap and gravel‐sand transition autogenically from a unimodal sediment supply. Here we use a one‐dimensional morphodynamic model including size‐specific bedload and suspended load transport, to show that bimodality readily evolves autogenically even under unimodal sediment feed. A GST forms when we include a floodplain width that abruptly increases at some point. Upstream of the transition, non‐gap gravel ceases to move and gap sediment is preferentially transported. At the transition, non‐gap sand rapidly deposits from suspension, enhancing gap sediment mobility and diluting its presence on the bed. |
| Document Type: | article |
| File Description: | electronic resource |
| Language: | English |
| ISSN: | 1944-8007 0094-8276 |
| Relation: | https://doaj.org/toc/0094-8276; https://doaj.org/toc/1944-8007 |
| DOI: | 10.1029/2024GL109109 |
| Access URL: | https://doaj.org/article/0f2fc175a40b41dfb739cdcd98d1301f |
| Accession Number: | edsdoj.0f2fc175a40b41dfb739cdcd98d1301f |
| Database: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
| ISSN: | 19448007 00948276 |
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| DOI: | 10.1029/2024GL109109 |
| Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Language: | English |