Investigating Sediment Grain Size Distribution and Transport Patterns in Punatsangchhu River, Punakha, Bhutan

Sangay Tenzin; Ugyen  Dorji

doi:10.47540/ijsei.v6i1.1615

Authors

Sangay Tenzin Department of Forest Science, College of Natural Resources, Bhutan
Ugyen Dorji Department of Forest Science, College of Natural Resources, Bhutan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47540/ijsei.v6i1.1615

Keywords:

Bed Load, Deposition, Erosion, Sediment

Abstract

This study investigates bed load sediment transport dynamics in selected areas of Punatsangchhu River, focusing on rock type identification, their association with topography, grain size distribution, and factors influencing bed load transport rates. 1D numerical sediment transport modeling was also done in HEC-RAS 6.3.1 using the discharge data of four years from 2020 to 2023. Bed load sediment samples were collected from 55 plots laid systematically 500 meters apart along the river. Results reveal Granite as the predominant rock type, reflecting the region's geological complexity shaped by Himalayan tectonics. Significant associations between rock types and topography, particularly for Granite Boulder, highlight the complex interplay of topographic factors shaping sediment distribution. Bed load transport rates vary across sediment roundness and river reach types, with round particles exhibiting higher rates and riffles displaying greater transport than pools. Regression analysis confirms the significant influence of river velocity and bed slope on transport rates, emphasizing the importance of hydraulic factors in sediment transport processes. The output from HEC-RAS revealed the highest sediment concentration in this valley during the late summer months directly aligning with the higher flow in these seasons. During these years, critical bed changes in some of the cross-sections were also observed. RS 12521 has witnessed the highest deposition rate of about 2.5 meters and similarly, RS 7006 has witnessed the highest erosion rate of about 2.3 meters. Likewise, the profile plot of the river reveals a series of erosion and deposition processes during this time window, affecting the riverbed and consequently channel morphology.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Andualem, T. G., Hewa, G. A., Myers, B. R., Peters, S., and Boland, J. (2023). Erosion and Sediment Transport Modeling: A Systematic Review. Land, 12(7), 1396.

Awal, R., Sapkota, P., Chitrakar, S., Thapa, B. S., Neopane, H. P., and Thapa, B. (2019). A general review on methods of sediment sampling and mineral content analysis. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1266 (1), 012005). IOP Publishing.

Balouchi, B., Ruther, N., Mirzaahmadi, A., and Schwarzwälder, K. (2022). Two-dimensional (2D) depth-averaged numerical modeling of a braided river morphodynamics upstream of a dam reservoir. Ele, 283, 284.

Benn, D. I. and Owen, L. A. (2002). Himalayan glacial sedimentary environments A framework for reconstructing and dating the former extent of glaciers in high mountains. Quat Int, 97 (98).

Berry, W., Rubenstein, N., Melzion, B., and Hill., B. (2003). The biological effects of suspended and bedded sediment (SABS) in aquatic systems: a review. Internal Report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Narragansett RI.

Boggs & Sam. (2006). Principles of sedimentology and stratigraphy (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Brunner, G.W. (2016). HEC-RAS River Analysis System User’s Manual; US Army Corps of Engineers: Davis, CA, USA.

Carson, M. A., and Griffiths, G. A. (1987). Influence of Channel Width on Bed Load Transport Capacity. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 113(12), 1489–1508.

Cassel, M., Lavé, J., Recking, A., Malavoi, J.-R., and Piégay, H. (2021). Bedload transport in rivers, size matters but so does shape. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 508.

Chiphang, N., Golom, T., Bandyopadhyay, A., and Bhadra, A. (2022). Modeling the impact of climate change on sediment yield from an Eastern Himalayan River Basin using ArcSWAT. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 15(3), 232.

Choden, S. (n.d.). Sediment Transport Studies in Punatsangchhu River, Bhutan.

Coulibalya, L. K., and Coulibalyc, N. (2023). The impact of climate change on sediment transport capacity: a case study of the boubo coastal watershed. Environment & Ecosystem Science (EES), 7(1), 01-12.

Czuba, J. A., and Foufoula-Georgiou, E. (2014). A network-based framework for identifying

Damgaard, J. S., Whitehouse, R. J. S., and Soulsby, R. L. (1997). Bed-Load Sediment Transport on Steep Longitudinal Slopes. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 123(12), 1130–1138.

da Silva, G. V., Strauss, D., Murray, T., Tomlinson, R., da Silva, A. P., Faivre, G., ... and Hemer, M. (2022). Impacts of climate change on Sediment Transport rates around Burleigh Heads. In Australasian Coasts & Ports 2021: Te Oranga Takutai, Adapt and Thrive: Te Oranga Takutai, Adapt and Thrive (pp. 985-991). Christchurch, NZ: New Zealand Coastal Society..

Duba, C. (2016). Reservoir Sedimentation Study for the Bunakha Hydro-electric Project [Master thesis, NTNU].

Durafour, M., Jarno, A., Le Bot, S., Lafite, R., and Marin, F. (2015). Bedload transport for heterogeneous sediments. Environmental Fluid Mechanics, 15(4), 731–751.

Durafour, M., Jarno-Druaux, A., Marin, F., Lafite, R., Le Bot, S., and Blanpain, O. (2013, June 24). In-situ study of the influence of size and shape of sediments on bedload transport.

Estep, M. A., and Beschta, R. L. (1985). Transport of bedload sediment and channel morphology of a southeast Alaska stream. (PNW-RN-430; p. PNW-RN-430). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station.

Favaro, E. A., and Lamoureux, S. F. (2015). Downstream patterns of suspended sediment transport in a High Arctic River influenced by permafrost disturbance and recent climate change. Geomorphology, 246, 359-369.

Fernandez, C., Wu, J. Q., McCool., D. K., and Stöckle., C. O. (2003). Estimating water erosion and sediment yield with GIS, RUSLE, and SEDD. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 58 (3), 128–136.

Galay, V. J. (1983). Causes of river bed degradation. Water resources research, 19 (5), 1057-1090.

Gomez, B., and Soar, P. J. (2022). Bedload transport: Beyond intractability. Royal Society Open Science, 9(3), 211932.

Hagg, W., Ram, S., Klaus, A., Aschauer, S., Babernits, S., Brand, D., Guggemoos, P., & Pappas, T. (2021). Hazard Assessment for a Glacier Lake Outburst Flood in the Mo Chu River Basin, Bhutan. Applied Sciences, 11(20), 9463.

Hamzah, M. H. B. (2014). Study The 1d Quasi Jing Of Sediment Transport In Galing River By Using Hec-Ras (Doctoral dissertation, Universiti Malaysia Pahang).

Hassan, M., Chartrand, S., Radić, V., Ferrer‐Boix, C., Buckrell, E., and McDowell, C. (2022). Experiments on the Sediment Transport along Pool‐Riffle Unit. Water Resources Research, 58.

Hou, L., Zhang, H., Li, L., Zhao, J., and Li, X. (2023). A Method for Calculating Water Demand for Sediment Transport Based on the Principles of River Dynamics. Water, 15(19), 3514.

Howard, A. D. (1998). Long profile development of bedrock channels: Interaction of weathering, mass wasting, bed erosion, and sediment transport. Geophysical Monograph-American Geophysical Union, 107, 297-319.

Hirsch, P. J., and Abrahams, A. D. (1981). The properties of bed sediments in pools and riffles. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 51(3), 757–760.

Jha, P. K., Vaithiyanathan, P., and Subramanian, K. (1993). Mineralogical characteristics of the sediments of a Himalayan River: Yamuna River a tributary of the Ganges. Environ. Geol. Geol., 22(1), 13 20.

Karim, M. F., & Kennedy, J. F. (1987). Velocity and sediment-concentration profiles in river flows. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 113(2), 159-176.

Koltermann, C. E., & Gorelick, S. M. (1996). Heterogeneity in sedimentary deposits: A review of structure‐imitating, process‐ imitating, and descriptive approaches. Water Resources Research, 32(9), 2617-2658

Korup, O. (2008). Rock type leaves topographic signature in landslide‐dominated mountain ranges. Geophysical Research Letters, 35.

Kvočka, D. (2021). One-dimensional sediment transport modelling with Engelund–Hansen and Ackers–White transport equations for the Lower Danube River. Acta hydrotechnical, 34(61), 103-117.

Ligong S, Sidek LM, Hayder G, Mohd Dom N. Application of Rainfall Threshold for Sediment-Related Disasters in Malaysia: Status, Issues and Challenges. Water. 2022; 14(20), 3212.

Mibei, G.K. (2014). Introduction to Types and Classification Of Rocks.

Mohammed, B. A., Sharfi, E. S. M., & Mordos, M. A. (2018). Simulation of River Bed Changes Upstream Merowe Dam. University of Khartoum Engineering Journal, 8(1).

Molinas, A., & Wu, B. (2001). Transport of sediment in large sand-bed rivers. Journal of Hydraulic Research, 39(2), 135-146.

Montgomery, D. R., and Buffington, J. M. (1997). Channel-reach morphology in mountain drainage basins. GSA Bulletin, 109(5), 596–611.

Mossa, J., Chen, Y. H., Walls, S. P., Kondolf, G. M., and Wu, C. Y. (2017). Anthropogenic landforms and sediments from dredging and disposing sand along the Apalachicola River and its floodplain. Geomorphology, 294, 119-134.

Movahedinejad, S., Bohluly, A., Haghshenas, S. A., and Bidokhti, A. A. (2023). A 2D numerical model for simulation of cohesive sediment transport. Computational Geosciences, 1-13.

Nones, M., and Guo, Y. (2023). Can sediments play a role in river flood risk mapping? Learning from selected European examples. Geo-environmental Disasters, 10(1), 20.

Parker, G. (2007). Sedimentation Engineering.” ASCE Manual 54, Chapter 3 (in press). Potential synchronizations and amplifications of sediment delivery in river basins. Water Resources Research, 50, 3826–3851.

Pradhan, P. M. S. (2004). Improving sediment handling in the Himalayas. OSH research, Nepal, 1-6.

Pitlick, J., & Cress, R. (2002). Downstream changes in the channel geometry of a large gravel bed river. Water resources research, 38(10), 34-1.

Weise, R. (2018). 1-Dimensional Hydraulic and Sediment Transport Modelling of an Emergency Spillway (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Western Ontario (Canada).

Wright, L. D. (1977). Sediment transport and deposition at river mouths: a synthesis. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 88 (6), 857-868.

Young, W. J. (1989). Bedload transport in braided gravel-bed rivers: A hydraulic model study [PhD Thesis, Lincoln College, University of Canterbury].

Yusuf, A., Ojo, R., Idrees, M. O., Balogun, A. L., Salami, I. B., and Sani, O. S. (2023). Modelling flood hazards impacted by ungauged river in urbanised area using HEC-RAS and GIS. Nigerian Journal of Technological Development, 20(2), 83-92. Nigerian Journal of Technological Development. 20.

Yuan, S., Tang, H., Li, K., Xu, L., Xiao, Y., Gualtieri, C., and Melville, B. (2021). Hydrodynamics, sediment transport and morphological features at the confluence between the Yangtze River and the Poyang Lake. Water Resources Research, 57(3), e2020WR028284.

Zarifsanayei, A. R., Etemad-Shahidi, A., Cartwright, N., and Strauss, D. (2020). Long-term prediction of longshore sediment transport in the context of climate change. Coastal Engineering Proceedings, (36v), 15-15.

Zhang, J., Zhang, X., Li, R., Chen, L., & Lin, P. (2017). Did streamflow or suspended sediment concentration changes reduce sediment load in the middle reaches of the Yellow River?. Journal of Hydrology, 546, 357-369.

Zhang, T., Li, D., East, A. E., Walling, D. E., Lane, S., Overeem, I., and Lu, X. (2022). Warming-driven erosion and sediment transport in cold regions. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 3(12), 832-851.