A multiple case study for calibrating acoustic backscatter to total suspended material in a large river system

Sediment transport measurements are determined using techniques such as bed-material and suspended-sediment sampling, and more recently the conversion of acoustic backscatter (ABS). Acoustic waves scatter and attenuate while passing through a water-sediment mixture and the backscatter is converted to sediment concentration, size, and shape. A multiple case study performed using data from West Bay, Old River, and Mississippi River at Vicksburg show the variability of a large river system TSM flux during assorted hydrographs and two methods (CHL and moving boat) capture the events. After processing and applying the two methods the results showed that the methods are typically within 8% to 41% of each other when computing sediment flux. The conversion of total suspended material (TSM) from ABS was an average of 0.2% to 69% from the sample TSM. Peak part of the hydrograph had the highest average suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and descending had the lowest average SSC.