LAUSR

The flocculation and the settling of the cohesive sediment play an important role in the sediment transport process, and they are affected by many factors. On the coasts and in the estuaries, the organic matter and the salinity are two significant factors. In this study, experiments are carried out to evaluate the flocculation and the settling of the kaolinite in cases of various organic matter and salinity solutions in quiescent waters. The optical multi-channel suspended concentration monitoring system is used to measure the sediment concentration and the floc size. The results show that the settling velocity decreases with the increase of the organic matter content, and the floc size increases with the increase of the organic matter content. In addition, an empirical formula for the settling velocity under the influence of the organic matter and the salinity based on the experimental results is proposed.