Discontinuity in equilibrium wave‐current ripple size and shape and deep cleaning associated with cohesive sand‐clay beds

Abstract

Mixtures of cohesive clay and noncohesive sand are widespread in many aquatic environments. Ripple dynamics in sand-clay mixtures have been studied under current-alone and wave-alone conditions but not combined wave-current conditions, despite their prevalence in estuaries and the coastal zone. The present flume experiments examine the effect of initial clay content, C0, on ripples by considering a single wave-current condition and, for the first time, quantify how changing clay content of substrate impacts ripple dimensions during development. The results show inverse relationships between C0 and ripple growth rates and clay winnowing transport rates out of the bed, which reduce as the ripples develop toward equilibrium. For C0 ≤ 10.6%, higher winnowing rates lead to clay loss, and thus the presence of clean sand, far below the base of equilibrium ripples. This hitherto unquantified “deep-cleaning” of clay does not occur for C0 > 10.6%, where clay-loss rates are much lower. The clay-loss behavior is associated with two distinct types of equilibrium combined flow ripples: (a) Large asymmetric ripples with dimensions and plan geometries comparable to their clean-sand counterparts for C0 ≤ 10.6% and (b) small, flat ripples for C0 > 10.6%. The 10.6% threshold, which may be specific to the experimental conditions, corresponds to a more general 8% threshold found beneath the ripple base, suggesting that clay content here must be <8% for clean-sand-like ripples to develop in sand-clay beds. This ripple-type discontinuity comprises a threefold reduction in ripple height, with notable implications for bed roughness.

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ORCID for X. Wu: orcid.org/0000-0002-2397-0144

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