Sediment Transport

Sediment transport is the movement of solid particles, typically due to a combination of gravity acting on the sediment and the movement of the fluid in which it is entrained. In natural systems the particles are clastic rocks such as sand, gravel and boulders, or mud or clay, and the fluid is air, water or ice. Fluid-driven transport occurs in rivers, oceans, lakes and seas because of currents and tides, glaciers carry sediment as they flow, and wind moves it on land surfaces, forming ripples and dunes. Transport due only to gravity occurs on sloping surfaces such as hillslopes, scarps and cliffs. Knowledge of sediment transport is used to decide whether erosion or deposition will occur, how much, and over what time and distance.