Newly Designed and Experimental Test of the Sediment Trap for Horizontal Transport Flux

Abstract

The transport processes of marine suspended sediments are important to the material cycle and the shaping of seafloor topography. Existing sediment monitoring methods are limited in their use under high concentration conditions, and are not effective in monitoring and capturing sediment in 3D directions, and there is an inability to accurately explain sediment transport processes. To infer the transport process of suspended sediments, this study proposed a time-series vector in situ observation device. An accompanying time-series analytic method was developed for sediment transport fluxes. The correlation between the internal and external flow velocities of the capture tube was established through indoor tests, and then the applicability of the device was verified by the correlation between the theoretical capture quality and the actual capture quality, and the analytic formula of the flux was refined. The proposed observation technique can be used for in situ long-term observation and sampling of marine suspended sediments under conventional and even extreme sea conditions, achieving accurate time-series suspended sediment capture and high-resolution transport flux analysis. The technique thus provides a more effective means for scientific research into the dynamics of seafloor sedimentation, the mechanisms of ocean carbon sinks, and the processes of the carbon cycle.