Estimating bulk density in vertically exposed stoney alluvium using a modified excavation method

• Published in: Journal of environmental quality Vol. 33; no. 5; pp. 1937 - 1942
• Main Authors: Brye, K.R, Morris, T.L, Miller, D.M, Formica, S.J, Van Eps, M.A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Madison American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society 01.09.2004; Crop Science Society of America; American Society of Agronomy
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; alluvium; Applied sciences; bank erosion; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; bulk density; Conservation of Natural Resources; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environment and pollution; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental quality; erodibility; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geologic Sediments; Geological Phenomena; Geology; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Land use; methodology; particle size distribution; Pollution; pollution load; Pollution, environment geology; Rivers; sediment yield; Sediments; Soil; soil sampling; soil texture; streams; Water Movements; Arkansas; United States; North America; America; USA; Bulk density; High content; Bank; In situ; Sediments; Land use; Suspended particle; Soils; Foam; Loading; Education; Polyurethane; Water quality; Turbidity; Stream erosion; Computing method; Alluvium
• ISSN: 0047-2425; 1537-2537
• DOI: 10.2134/jeq2004.1937

Despite many decades of education and refining land-use practices, accelerated stream bank erosion is still prevalent in the United States. Eroding stream banks produce a sediment load to the riverine system and can cause reduced water quality as a result of increased suspended sediment. As total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for water bodies impaired by turbidity or suspended sediments become more numerous, a simple, in situ field technique will be needed to estimate the bulk density of readily erodible stream bank material so that reasonably accurate sediment loading rates can be estimated. In this study, the excavation/polyurethane-foam technique for estimating total bulk density was applied to vertically exposed alluvium with high coarse-fragment content. Though not previously attempted in vertically exposed alluvium with high coarse-fragment content, the excavation/polyurethane-foam technique appears to provide a reasonably accurate estimate of the total and soil (<2-mm size fraction) bulk density from vertically exposed, alluvial deposits with high coarse-fragment content (i.e., >70%) along eroding stream banks. Obtaining bulk density estimates using this method would facilitate calculation of sediment loading rates to riverine systems with actual field data.