Sediment fluxes and particle grain-size characteristics of wind-eroded sediments in Southeastern Australia

Abstract

Grain-size characteristics and the flux of sediment transported by wind from a cultivated paddock in a Quaternary relict dune field are described. Sediments were collected at seven heights between 0.7 and 2.0 m. The distribution of sediment mass with height is explained by a power function (of the order of -1), which is highly skewed towards the bed. The distribution of < 90 μm sediment mass is explained by a log function of height and is less skewed towards the bed because these finer particles are influenced by the vertical velocity component of the wind. The particle-size distribution (PSD) of the eroded sediments is strongly influenced by the PSD of the parent material. Enrichment of the suspended sediment (PSA < 90 μm) was in the order of 2.3 times. Sediment flux measurements show that 93 per cent of the erosion occurred in 3 per cent of the time. Show more