LONG-TERM GOALS The scientific focus of this project is to improve our understanding of near-bed suspended sediment concentration (i.e., "reference concentration") in the coastal environment. Models of sediment transport require parameterization of the reference concentration in terms of hydrodynamical and sedimentological measures. In this study we evaluate the accuracy and suitability of existing expressions for reference concentration based on field measurements, and develop an improved

more »

... ssion for this important parameter. This work is undertaken as part of an ONR-sponsored Mine Burial Research Program. It is closely linked to the work of other investigators who are collaborating to understand oceanographic and seafloor processes that affect bottom mines. The principal goal of this research is to develop an expression for near-bed reference concentration in terms of readily measured hydrodynamic and sediment parameters. This expression is derived from high-quality field measurements in the shallowwater marine environment. OBJECTIVES • Evaluate existing formulations for reference concentration C o and their applicability for sediment transport modeling. • Obtain high-quality field measurements of important parameters that contribute to better understanding of C o . These include detailed near-bed measurements of wave parameters, velocity profiles, suspended sediment concentrations and size distributions, bed morphology, and particle settling velocities. • Determine relationships between bottom velocities and stresses in shallow-water marine environments and near-bottom suspended sediment concentrations C. • Develop an accurate expression for C o . Same as Report (SAR) 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 6 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT unclassified b. ABSTRACT unclassified c. THIS PAGE unclassified Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18