Vertical distribution of suspended sediment concentration - A case study in Cu Lao Dung Coastal Areas (Vietnam)

The vertical distribution of suspended sediments in the mangrove-mud coast is complicated due to the characterization of cohesive sediment properties, and the influence of hydrodynamic factors. In this study, the time-evolution of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in water depth is simulated by a one-dimensional model. The model applies in-situ data measured in October 2014 at the outer station in Cu Lao Dung coastal areas, Soc Trang, Vietnam. In the model, parameters which have influence on vertical distribution of SSC include the settling velocity Ws and the diffusion coefficient Kz. The settling velocity depends on the cohesive sediment properties, and the diffusion coefficient depends on the wave-current dynamics. The settling velocity is determined by the settling column experiment in the laboratory, which is a constant of 1.8 x 10-4 ms-1. Two hydrodynamic conditions are simulated including a strong current condition and a strong wave condition. Both simulations show that the SSC near the bottom is much higher than ones at the surface due to higher turbulence at the bottom. At the bottom layer, the SSC is strongly influenced by the current.