| Residual suspended sediment flux in estuaries is dependent on water level, velocity, and suspended sediment concentration (SSC), but complex interactions between these variables and other forcing mechanisms can lead to drastic differences in the magnitude and direction of sediment flux. The goal of this study was to quantify residual suspended sediment flux in a shallow, macrotidal estuary, and to determine its most important forcing mechanisms, using the Dyer flux decomposition equation and a simplified analytical model. Water level, velocity, and acoustic backscatter were measured in the Aulne River estuary in Brittany, France, and acoustic backscatter converted to SSC. The vertical tide was slightly flood dominant near the mouth, but strongly flood... |
