Collaborative Research: Can Human-Induced Turbidity Currents Enable Sustainability of Freshwater Reservoirs?

合作研究：人为引起的浊流能否实现淡水水库的可持续性？

• 批准号: 2317835
• 负责人: Keith Gido
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Kansas State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2317835&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Human; Induced; Turbidity

Water reservoirs provide many societal services in the United States and worldwide including flood control and sources of hydroelectric power, drinking water, and irrigation for agriculture and farming. Despite their vital roles, reservoirs are gradually being filled with sediments as land use and climate change exacerbate soil erosion and sediment transport and deposition in natural and engineered surface water systems. Few suitable sites for new dam construction exist in the United States thereby emphasizing the need for cost-effective management of existing reservoirs. In 2024, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the State of Kansas are scheduled pilot a novel water-injection dredging (WID) process (an untested but potentially transformative approach) in a federal reservoir in the State of Kansas with the aim of inducing turbidity currents and exporting trapped reservoir sediments to downstream waterways, which could prove crucial for addressing the global concern of reservoir sedimentation and its impact on water security. However, key questions remain regarding the ability of WID to restore reservoir sediment storage capacity, its environmental implications to in-lake water quality, and its downstream effects to channel morphology and aquatic ecosystems. To address these knowledge gaps, the Principal Investigators (PIs) of this project propose to leverage the USACE-Kansas WID field test to collect and analyze sediments, nutrients, and aquatic species count data with the goal of generating fundamental scientific and engineering knowledge on the transport efficacy, mechanisms, and environmental responses following the implementation of WID process in a water reservoir. If WID is shown to be viable, with minimal impact on downstream river ecosystems, the successful completion of this project will benefit society through the generation of new data and fundamental knowledge that could be used in reservoirs around the globe, transforming sediment management, and reducing costs associated with existing dredging techniques. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training including the mentoring of one undergraduate and one graduate student at the University of Kansas and two undergraduate students and one graduate student at Kansas State University.Existing reservoir sediment management techniques have limited effectiveness because they (1) do not restore natural downstream sediment continuity, (2) require transport, storage, and disposal of dredged materials, and (3) are costly to implement. The basic premise of the water-injection dredging (WID) process is to spray a jet of fluid into the bed of a reservoir, entrain sediments into the overlying water, and initiate a density current (akin to an underwater avalanche) to mobilize stored bed sediments toward the reservoir outlet. While WID has successfully been applied to ports and rivers, it has yet to be tested in a water reservoir thereby raising critical questions regarding its potential efficacy and environmental impact. This project will address these knowledge gaps. The specific objectives of the research are to 1) evaluate the physical mechanisms by which human-induced turbidity currents propagate in reservoirs, using high-frequency turbidity sensing data and computational fluid dynamics modeling; 2) evaluate shifts in reservoir water quality by monitoring thermal stratification and redox conditions using in-situ physicochemical sensors and laboratory experiments before, during, and after the WID field test; 3) assess channel and floodplain accretion rates before, during, and after the WID field test; and 4) continuously assess the response of fish and macroinvertebrate communities to sediment releases and the induced biological, chemical, and physical changes in water quality and habitats throughout the WID demonstration project. The successful completion of this research could transform how reservoirs are managed, potentially extending the usable lifetime of large water storage infrastructure across the globe. To implement the educational and training goals of this project, the Principal Investigators (PIs) will collaborate with the University of Kansas (KU) Self Engineering Leadership Fellows (SELF) program to develop and deliver a workshop for college students to conduct hands-on research with large environmental datasets and develop science communication skills, culminating in a presentation to the State of Kansas and Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, the PIs plan to integrate the findings from this research into relevant course modules and outreach activities at KU and Kansas State University.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

水库在美国和全球提供许多社会服务，包括洪水控制以及水力发电，饮用水和农业和农业灌溉的来源。尽管它们具有至关重要的作用，但由于土地利用和气候变化加剧了土壤侵蚀以及沉积物的运输以及在天然和工程地表水系统中的沉积物的运输和沉积，储层逐渐被沉积物填充。美国很少有合适的新大坝建设地点，因此强调需要对现有水库进行具有成本效益的管理。 2024年，美国陆军工程兵团（USACE）和堪萨斯州计划在堪萨斯州的联邦水库中，预定了一种新型的水注射疏ed（WID）进程（一种未经测试但可能具有变革性的方法），其目的是诱导浊流并将被困的储层沉积物出口到下游水道，这对于解决全球对储层沉积的关注及其对水安全的影响可能至关重要。但是，关于WID恢复储层沉积物存储能力的能力，其对湖泊内水质的影响以及其下游效果的关键问题仍然存在。为了解决这些知识差距，该项目的主要研究人员（PIS）建议利用USACE-KANSAS WID现场测试来收集和分析沉积物，营养和水生物种计数数据，目的是为了产生基本的科学和工程学知识在水库中实施WID过程后，运输功效，机制和环境反应。如果证明WID是可行的，对下游河流生态系统的影响很小，那么该项目的成功完成将通过产生新的数据和基本知识来使社会受益，这些知识可用于全球储备，改造沉积物管理和减少沉积物管理和减少与现有的疏and技术相关的成本。将通过学生的教育和培训来实现社会的其他好处（1）不要恢复天然下游沉积物的连续性，（2）需要运输，存储和处置疏ed物料，并且（3）实施昂贵。水注射疏g的基本前提（WID）工艺是将一根流体喷射到储层的床上，夹带沉积物进入上覆的水中，并启动密度电流（类似于水下雪崩），以动员储存的床朝向水库出口的沉积物。尽管WID已成功地应用于港口和河流，但尚未在水库中进行测试，从而提出了有关其潜在疗效和环境影响的关键问题。该项目将解决这些知识差距。研究的具体目标是1）评估人体诱导的浊流在储层中传播的物理机制，使用高频浊度传感数据和计算流体动力学建模； 2）通过使用原位物理学传感器和实验室实验在WID野外测试之前，在WID现场测试之前和之后，通过监测热分层和氧化还原条件来评估储层水质的变化； 3）评估WID现场测试之前，期间和之后的渠道和洪泛区积聚率； 4）不断评估鱼类和大型无脊椎动物群落对沉积物释放的反应，以及在整个WID示范项目中诱导的水质和水质和栖息地的生物学，化学和物理变化。这项研究的成功完成可能会改变如何管理储层，从而延长全球大型储水基础设施的可用寿命。为了实施该项目的教育和培训目标，首席研究人员（PIS）将与堪萨斯大学（KU）自助工程领导力研究员（自助）计划合作，为大学生开发和开展讲习班，以进行动手研究凭借大型的环境数据集并发展科学沟通技巧，最终向堪萨斯州和陆军工程兵团发表演讲。此外，PIS计划将这项研究的发现纳入KU和堪萨斯州立大学的相关课程模块和外展活动。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子和更广泛的影响而被认为值得支持的。审查标准。