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Effect of turbulent structures on the riverbank erosion due to tidal influence: A case study from the Rupnarayan River, eastern India

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Abstract

For understanding the sediment removal mechanism from the bank face, field measurements of the dominating turbulent flow structures under the influence of flood and ebb tide were carried out at the middle reach 98 km upstream of the mouth of Rupnarayan River, India where the bank erosion activity was highly dynamic. Measurement of the three-dimensional temporal variation of velocity was carried out using a 16-MHz Micro-ADV during the transition period of flood to ebb tide. Results from the present field study depict that during the transition of the onset of the ebb tide, the velocity field showed reduced values that gradually acquired negative values at the near bank region. This manifested the existence of an anti-clock circulation during flood tide and clock-wise circulation during ebb tide at the near bank flow field. It was also pertinent that the velocity gradient during ebb tide was greater as compared to the velocity gradient during flood tide. Accordingly, the turbulent bursting analysis revealed that the ejection and sweep events were prominent during ebb tide resulting in the dislodgement of sediment from the bank face at a larger rate. Further, the similarity of the wavelet patterns revealed that a good correlation existed between the stream-wise and transverse velocity component during ebb tide that enhanced the erosion process during the ebb tide event.

Research highlights

  • The velocity gradient was greater during ebb tide than during flood tide.

  • Flow-circulation is clockwise during ebb tide and anti-clockwise during flood tide.

  • Bursting structures reveal the dominance of ejection and sweep events during ebb tide.

  • The entrained sediment particles are transported with ebb current.

  • The entrained sediment is deposited at the lower reach causing rapid sedimentation.

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Acknowledgement

Authors would like to acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India for financial support for this research (Contact No. EMR/2015/000266).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Laboratory (FMHL), Department of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur, 711 103, India

    Vikas Kumar Das, Koustuv Debnath, Sayahnya Roy, Sunil Hansda & Bijoy Singha Mazumder

  2. Department of Applied Mathematics with Oceanology and Computer Programming, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, 721 102, India

    Krishnendu Barman

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  1. Vikas Kumar Das
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  2. Koustuv Debnath
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Contributions

Vikas Kumar Das carried out the literature review, data processing, and preparation of the figures. Prof Koustuv Debnath supervised the entire field campaign, manuscript preparation, reviewed, revised, provided inputs for improvement, and approved the final manuscript during peer-review process. Dr. Sayahnya Roy designed the field campaign gear and helped in data collection, result interpretation, and manuscript preparation. Dr Krishnendu Barman and Sunil Hansda helped during the data collection and processing and Prof Bijoy S Mazumder provided inputs for improvements.

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Correspondence to Koustuv Debnath.

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Communicated by N V Chalapathi Rao

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Das, V.K., Debnath, K., Roy, S. et al. Effect of turbulent structures on the riverbank erosion due to tidal influence: A case study from the Rupnarayan River, eastern India. J Earth Syst Sci 130, 62 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-021-01554-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-021-01554-w

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