Algorithm for resistance to flow and transport in sand-bed channels

An algorithm is developed that relates depth to discharge and determines bed- and suspended-load transport for the entire range of bed forms found in sand-bed channels; equilibrium-state geometry of lower flow regime bedforms is also predicted. A Meyer-Peter-type formulation is used to compute sand transport in the bed-load layer and for computing suspended sand transport, McLean's procedure is adopted. A bed-form classifcation scheme is developed. The algorithm produces overall geometric averages of predicted to observed depth and predicted to observed transport of 1.00. For a verification data set of 855 observations, mostly from rivers and canals, the overall geometric averages of predicted to observed depth and transport are 0.87 and 1.14. -from Author