Ryan W. Bradley

Flow in bedrock canyons

Bedrock erosion in rivers sets the pace of landscape evolution, influences the evolution of orogens and determines the size, shape and relief of mountains. A variety of models link fluid flow and sediment transport processes to bedrock incision in canyons. The model components that represent sediment transport processes are increasingly well developed. In contrast, the model components being used to represent fluid flow are largely untested because there are no observations of the flow structure in bedrock canyons. Here we present a 524-kilometre, continuous centreline, acoustic Doppler current profiler survey of the Fraser Canyon in western Canada, which includes 42 individual bedrock canyons. Our observations of three-dimensional flow structure reveal that, as water enters the canyons, a high-velocity core follows the bed surface, causing a velocity inversion (high velocities near the bed and low velocities at the surface). The plunging water then upwells along the canyon walls, resulting in counter-rotating, along-stream coherent flow structures that diverge near the bed. The resulting flow structure promotes deep scour in the bedrock channel floor and undercutting of the canyon walls. This provides a mechanism for channel widening and ensures that the base of the walls is swept clear of the debris that is often deposited there, keeping the walls nearly vertical. These observations reveal that the flow structure in bedrock canyons is more complex than assumed in the models presently used. Fluid flow models that capture the essence of the three-dimensional flow field, using simple phenomenological rules that are computationally tractable, are required to capture the dynamic coupling between flow, bedrock erosion and solid-Earth dynamics.

Flow structure and resistance over subaquaeous high‐ and low‐angle dunes

A prominent control on the flow over subaqueous dunes is the slope of the downstream leeside. While previous work has focused on steep (~30°), asymmetric dunes with permanent flow separation, little is known about dunes with lower lee slope angles for which flow separation is absent or intermittent. Here we present a laboratory investigation where we systematically varied the dune lee slope, holding other geometric parameters and flow hydraulics constant, to explore effects on the turbulent flow field and flow resistance. Three sets of fixed dunes (lee slopes of 10°, 20°, and 30°) were separately installed in a 15 m long and 1 m wide flume and subjected to 0.20 m deep flow. Measurements consisted of high-frequency, vertical profiles collected with a Laser Doppler Velocimeter. We show that the temporal and spatial occurrence of flow separation decreases with dune lee slope. Velocity gradients in the dune leeside depict a free shear layer downstream of the 30° dunes and a weaker shear layer closer to the bed for the 20° and 10° dunes. The decrease in velocity gradients leads to lower magnitude of turbulence production for gentle lee slopes. Aperiodic, strong ejection events dominate the shear layer but decrease in strength and frequency for low-angle dunes. Flow resistance of dunes decreases with lee slope; the transition being nonlinear. Over the 10°, 20°, and 30° dunes, shear stress is 8%, 33%, and 90% greater than a flat bed, respectively. Our results demonstrate that dune lee slope plays an important but often ignored role in flow resistance.

Observations of Coherent flow structures over Sub-aqueous high- and low-angle Dunes

Large-scale coherent flow structures (CFS) above dunes are the dominant source of flow resistance and constitute the principal mechanism for sediment transport and mixing in sand bed river and estuarine systems. Based on laboratory observations, CFS formation has been previously linked to flow separation downstream of high-angle dunes with lee-slopes of ~30°. How CFS form in natural, deep rivers and estuaries where dunes exhibit lower lee-slopes and intermittent flow separation is not well understood. Here, we present Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements from an experiment where dune lee-slope was systematically varied (30°, 20°, 10°), while other geometric and hydraulic parameters were held constant. We show that CFS form downstream of all three dune geometries from shear layer vortices in the dune lee. The mode of CFS formation undergoes a low-frequency oscillation with periods of intense vortex shedding interspersed with periods of rare vortex shedding. Streamwise alignment of several vortices during periods of intense shedding results in wedge-shaped CFS that are advected above the dune stoss-side. Streamwise length-scales of wedge-shaped CFS correspond to large-scale motions (LSM). We hypothesize that the advection of LSM over the dune crest triggers the periods of intense shedding in the dune lee. LSM are weaker and smaller above low-angle dunes; however the low-frequency oscillation in CFS formation periods persists. The formation of smaller and weaker CFS results in a reduction of flow resistance over low-angle dunes.