Fine sediment dynamics in a shallow lake and implication for design of hydraulic works

Lake Markermeer is a large (680 km2), shallow body of water in the middle of the Netherlands, with a mean water depth of 3.6 m. One of the major problems in the lake is its decreasing ecological value which is, among other reasons, caused by a gradual increase of suspended sediment concentration and associated increase of light attenuation in the water column. A thorough understanding of fine sediment dynamics in the lake is a prerequisite for solving this problem. This paper addresses the 3D nature of near-bed sediment dynamics in Lake Markermeer, based on data sampled from a 1-month field experiment in autumn 2007. The campaign involved the collection of 71 bed samples across the lake. At each location, dual-frequency echo soundings were carried out to assess the thickness of the silt layer, and sediment concentration throughout the water column was measured with an Optical Backscatter Sensor (OBS). Moreover, 2-week time series of wave height, water level, current velocities, and near-bed sediment concentration were collected at a single location. The time series of sediment concentration were measured with a regular OBS and an Argus Surface Meter IV (ASM). During the measurement period, flow velocities ranged between 2 and 15 cm/s, wave heights up to 1.2 m were observed and turbidity levels varied between 40 mg/l to more than 300 mg/l. The ASM data generally showed uniform concentration profiles. However, profiles with steep concentration gradients near the bed were found for wave heights above 0.5 m. The field experiments further revealed pronounced 3D structures near the bed during discrete storms. The results are generalized for a wider range of conditions and across the full water depth through application of a 1DV point model, using a two-fraction representation of the grain size distribution. The fine and coarse fractions are found to resuspend rapidly for wind speeds above 5 m/s and 10–12 m/s, respectively, forming a uniform concentration profile if these wind conditions persists. High-concentration (∼1 g/l) layers near the bed, containing the coarse sediment fraction, only occur at the onset and towards the end of a storm, when wind speed changes rapidly. It is under these conditions that horizontal gradients in layer density or thickness can transport considerable fine sediment. This transport provides an additional mechanism for the infill of, for instance, silt traps and navigation channels.