Sediment transport in a small stream based on sup 137 Cs inventories of the bed load fraction

Journal Article · Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Water Resources Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/90WR00239· OSTI ID:5324268

Sobocinski, R W; Cerling, T E; Morrison, S J ^[1]; Larsen, I L ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City (USA)
2. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)

The authors report on sediment transport in White Oak Creek, a small third-order stream in eastern Tennessee, whose sediments have been contaminated by the irreversible adsorption of {sup 137}Cs. Sediment cores taken downstream from a point contamination source record the recent history of sedimentation and contamination in the creek. Sediment size distinguishes between different sedimentation events. The contamination profile developed since the last sedimentation event is used to estimate the time of the most recent sedimentation event which agrees with higher-than normal periods of discharge measured by weirs on the creek. It is likely that at least seven major bed load transport events occurred during 1985 and 1986. Total inventories of {sup 137}Cs in the bed load fraction were measured for six different size fractions for cores taken downstream from the point contamination source. The {sup 137}Cs concentration at any point in the creek is due to contaminated sediment transported to that location and subsequent contamination by {sup 137}Cs adsorbed directly from stream-water. The irreversible nature of {sup 137}Cs adsorption onto the sediments of White Oak Creek means that {sup 137}Cs can be used as a particle tracer in this system. Sediment transport in White Oak Creek was modeled by using a general transport model that has terms for dispersion, velocity, adsorption, and radioactive decay. For White Oak Creek, maximum velocities of 265, 215, 170, and 160 m y{sup {minus}1} are estimated for the 1-2, 2-4, 4-8, and 8-16 mm size fractions, respectively.

• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5324268
• Journal Information: Water Resources Research; (United States), Vol. 26:6; ISSN 0043-1397
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CESIUM 137
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
SEDIMENTS
CONTAMINATION
TENNESSEE
WATER POLLUTION
ADSORPTION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
PARTICLE SIZE
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SEDIMENT-WATER INTERFACES
STREAMS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FEDERAL REGION IV
INTERFACES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
POLLUTION
RADIOISOTOPES
SIZE
SORPTION
SURFACE WATERS
USA
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
540330* - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)