Rock and Roll: Passive and automated sensing of fluvial sediment and wood transport

河流推移质是粗粒泥沙通过河流作用在地貌中输送的基本过程。大木材是许多河流的主要成分，但它对推移质运输的影响却鲜为人知。在过去的十年里，由于山松甲虫对森林的侵扰，美国西部的河流正在经历着越来越多的木材负荷。该项目将调查木材负荷增加对受感染森林内溪流推移质泥沙输送动力学的影响。该项目将应用无源无线电跟踪技术，即在单个颗粒/木片上标记无源综合应答器(PIT)，以跟踪泥沙和木材运输。使用这项技术的研究表明，床层颗粒的运动就像随机行走模型，运动间歇，然后长时间休息(Bradley和Tucker，2012)。该项目将首次获得木材对床层-颗粒休息间隔和旅行距离的影响数据。其次，该项目将应用和开发无人机(UAV)来量化木材负荷对河流和河道地貌的变化。特别是，它将开发技术，以帮助无人机在飞行走廊狭窄的森林环境中使用。该学生将参加美国科罗拉多州弗雷泽实验森林(FEF)的一条高山小溪圣路易斯小溪的大型泥沙输送坑示踪器实验。2016年8月，G.Bennett和S.Ryan在溪流中播种了1000块有坑标记的岩石。一年后的一次初步调查发现，90%的岩石，其中30%的岩石显示出从最初的种子位置移动到河床上100米的位置。学生将更新和分析一个不断增长的泥沙输送和木材补充数据库--来自FEF的播种地点和其他子流域(例如，Ryan等人)。2015年)。学生将比较获得的泥沙输运数据和水流数据，以便建立对泥沙输运的水文控制。此外，他们将使用无人驾驶飞行器(UAV)来评估向溪流装载木材的变化、河道地貌和对颗粒运动的结构控制。该学生将与UEA的Gerard Parr和计算机科学的同事合作，开发用于穿越森林集水区的无人机防碰撞技术(例如，Luo等人，2013)。使用无源无线电示踪器测量山区河流中砾石的传输和扩散。地球表面过程和地貌，DOI：10.1002/esp.3223 Ryan，S.E.，Bishop，E.L.和Daniels，J.M.2014年。科罗拉多州弗雷泽实验森林源头山溪中大木材对河道形态和泥沙储存的影响。地貌217：73-88。2014.03.046C.Luo，S.I.McClean，G.Parr，L.Teacy和R.de Nardi，在IEEE车辆技术会刊，第62卷，第6期，第2749-2762页，2013.DOI：10.1109/TVT.2013.2243480中

Fluvial bedload is a fundamental process by which coarse sediment is transferred through landscapes by fluvial action. Large wood is a major component of many rivers, but its influence on bedload transport is poorly understood. Rivers across the western USA are currently experiencing increased wood loading due to infestation of forests by the mountain pine beetle over the past decade. This project will investigate the impact of increased wood loading on bedload sediment transport dynamics in a stream within an infected forest. The project will apply passive radio tracer technology in which individual grains/wood pieces are tagged with Passive Integrative Transponders (PIT) to track bedload and wood transport. Studies using this technology have shown that bed- particles move like a random walk model with intermittent periods of movement followed by long periods of rest (Bradley and Tucker, 2012). The project will acquire data on the impact of wood on bed-particle rest intervals and travel distances for the first time. Secondly, the project will apply and develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to quantify changes in wood loading to the stream and channel geomorphology. It particular, it will develop technology to aid the use of UAVs in forested environments with tight flying corridors.The student will be part of a large scale PIT tracer experiment of bedload sediment transport in St Louis Creek, an alpine stream in Fraser Experimental Forest (FEF), Colorado, USA. In August 2016, G. Bennett and S. Ryan seeded 1000 PIT tagged rocks in the stream. An initial survey one year later found 90% of the rocks, with 30% of these showing movement from their initial seed location to up to 100 m along the river bed. The student will update and analyze a growing database of sediment transport and wood recruitment - from the seeded site and other subwatersheds at FEF (e.g., Ryan et al. 2015). The student will compare data acquired on sediment transport with flow data in order to establish hydrologic controls on sediment transport. Furthermore, they will use an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to assess changes in wood loading to the stream, channel geomorphology and structural controls on particle movement. The student will work with Gerard Parr and colleagues in Computer Sciences at UEA to develop UAV anti-collision technology for flying through forested catchments (e.g. Luo et al., 2013).Bradley, D.E., and Tucker, G.E., 2012. Measuring gravel transport and dispersion in a mountain river using passive radio tracers. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, DOI: 10.1002/esp.3223Ryan, S.E., Bishop, E.L., and Daniels, J.M. 2014. Influence of large wood on channel morphology and sediment storage in headwater mountain streams, Fraser Experimental Forest, Colorado. Geomorphology 217:73-88. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.03.046 C. Luo, S. I. McClean, G. Parr, L. Teacy and R. De Nardi, "UAV Position Estimation and Collision Avoidance Using the Extended Kalman Filter," in IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, vol. 62, no. 6, pp. 2749-2762, July 2013.doi: 10.1109/TVT.2013.2243480