Dredge Induced Turbidity Plume Model

Abstract

A model is developed to describe the turbidity plume induced by dredging a ship channel using an hydraulic dredge. The model predicts the suspended sediment concentration within the plume and the resulting sediment deposition alongside the dredged channel. The model applies to a dredging operation in a water body in which the current is primarily along the channel axis and the channel depth is large enough that no significant suspended sediment reaches water surface. Results of field measurements are presented and compared with model. It is shown that the model describes the qualitative feature of prototype data and that the calibrated model parameters agree with independent observations by other investigators.