Multiple Scales of Suspended Sediment Dynamics in a Complex Geometry Estuary

1 General introduction 
1.1 Background 
1.1.1 Hydrodynamics 
1.1.2 Sediment dynamics 
1.1.3 Sediment and ecology 
1.1.4 Spatial‐temporal scale 
1.1.5 Modeling framework 
1.2 Motivation: the CASCaDE II project and BDCP 
1.2.1 CASCaDE II project 
1.2.2 BDCP 
1.3 Research objectives 
1.4 Outline of the thesis 
2 A 2D Process-Based Model for Suspended Sediment Dynamics: a first Step towards Ecological Modeling 
2.1 Introduction 
2.2 Study area and model 
2.2.1 Model description 
2.2.2 Initial and boundary conditions 
2.3 Results 
2.3.1 Calibration 
2.3.2 Suspended Sediment Dynamics (water year 2011) 
2.3.3 Sensitivity analysis 
2.4 Discussion 
2.4.1 Spatial sediment distribution 
2.4.2 Sediment budget 
2.4.3 Sediment flux analysis 
2.4.4 Sediment deposition pattern 
2.4.5 Turbidity 
2.4.6 Data input discussion 
2.5 Conclusions 
Appendix 2‐A: Hydrodynamic Calibration 
Appendix 2-B: SSC Calibration 
3 Suspended Sediment Dynamics in a tidal channel network under Peak River Flow
3.1 Introduction 
3.2 Study Area
3.3 Methodology 
3.3.1 Model description 
3.3.2 Initial and boundary conditions 
3.3.3 Calculation of sediment discharge and bed level change 
3.3.4 Model calibration and dynamics 
3.4 Results 
3.4.1 Mass storage between Sacramento River stations 
3.4.2 Hydrodynamics 
3.4.3 Suspended sediment discharge 
3.5 Discussion 
3.5.1 Hydrodynamics 
3.5.2 Suspended sediment discharge 
3.5.3 Deposition pattern 
3.5.4 Tidal influence 
3.5.5 Simulating the second discharge peak 
3.5.6 Recommendations 
3.6 Conclusions 
4 Impact of a sudden tidal prism increase in estuarine sediment flux: implications to remobilization of Hg-contaminated sediment 
4.1 Introduction 
4.2 Study area 
4.2.1 Model description 
4.2.2 Initial and boundary conditions 
4.3 Results and discussion 
4.3.1 Hydrodynamic model 
4.3.2 Sediment Calibration 
4.3.3 Sediment dynamics 
4.3.4 Tidal prism step increase 
4.3.5 High river discharge events implications 
4.3.6 Sensitivity in sediment flux 
4.3.7 Morphological updating 
4.3.8 Tracking mercury‐contaminated sediment 
4.4 Conclusions 
5 How important are climate change and foreseen engineering measures on the sediment dynamics in the San Francisco Bay-Delta system? 
5.1 Introduction 
5.2 Study Area
5.2.1 Bay history 
5.3 Methodology 
5.3.1 Model description 
5.3.2 Scenarios 
5.4 Results 
5.4.1 Base‐Case scenario (BCS) 
5.4.2 Scenarios comparison 
5.4.3 Pumping Scenario ‐ SacraP 
5.4.4 Flooded Island Scenario ‐ F‐isl 
5.4.5 Sea Level Rise scenario at 2100 ‐ SLRS 
5.4.6 Sea Level Rise scenario at 2100 and decrease of SSC‐ SLRS, 38%SSC 
5.4.7 Sea Level Rise scenario at 2100 and Pumping at Sacramento River ‐ SLR+SacraP 
5.4.8 Sea Level Rise scenario at 2100, Pumping at Sacramento River and Flooded Island ‐SLRS+SacraP+Fisl 
5.5 Discussion 
5.5.1 Process‐based model approach 
5.5.2 Scenarios sediment budget uncertainties 
5.5.3 Internal Impacts ‐ Pumping Scenario 
5.5.4 External Impacts ‐ SLR and SLR with decrease of SSC input 
5.5.5 Non predictable Impacts ‐ Levee Failure 
5.5.6 Yearly variability
5.5.7 Ecological Impact 
Recommendations 
5.6 Conclusions 
6 Conclusions 
6.1 General 
6.2 Recommendations for future research 
7 References