Field validation and improvement of the CBCL sediment transport model

CBCL Limited is a Maritime consulting engineering firm that models sediment erosion and transport near thecoast. Their model simulates the water flow and uses published estimates of how sediment is suspended andmoved in order to predict erosion and deposition. CBCL would like to verify and improve the accuracy of themodel, but does not currently possess techniques to measure sediment motion, and is looking for cost-effectivemethods of doing so.Dalhousie oceanographers Barry Ruddick and Chris Taggart have developed a technique for tracingsurface movement of water in our lakes and oceans, and will apply it to tracing sediment. The technique usesbillions of tiny, environmentally-benign tracer particles that drift with the sediment and are captured bymagnets, giving accurate and robust indication of where the sediment goes. They will collaborate with CBCLscientists to calibrate this technique in the laboratory, then apply it in a small harbour on the Northern shore ofPrince Edward Island that CBCL has modeled. CBCL field model observations include tide measurements anddredging records, plus simulations of water flow, sediment motion and sediment build-up. The new fieldmeasurements will yield estimates of sediment transport and deposition rates for comparison with the CBCLobservations and model predictions, and will tell scientists what needs to be changed to improve the modelaccuracy.This partnership will result more accurate and reliable predictions of sediment movement, plus a newability to measure sediment movement in oceans, lakes and rivers.