Suspended Load Transport of Bio-sediment

The previous chapter introduced the bedload transport of bio-sediment, i.e. bio-sediment transported near the bed layer. Under certain flow conditions, bio-sediment will become suspended into the overlying water layer and be transported as suspended load. Sediment transport in fluvial rivers mostly is in the form of suspended motion, which contributes substantially to the morphological evolution of estuaries, rivers, and lakes, biogeochemical nutrient cycling, contaminant transport, and habitat change. In this chapter, the suspended load transport of bio-sediment will be introduced from the aspects of bioflocculation, settling velocity, and suspended load transport rate.