Sediment resuspension characteristics in Baltimore Harbor, Maryland

Critical bed shear stress for sediment resuspension and sediment erosion rate were measured in-situ at sites from inner to outer Baltimore Harbor using the VIMS Sea Carousel. Clay mineral contents and biological conditions were almost the same at the four study sites. The experimental results indicated that the erosion rate increased from the outer harbor toward the inner harbor with a maximum difference of about 10 times at an excess bed shear stress of 0.1 Pa. The measured critical bed shear stress strongly depended on the existence of a fluff layer. It was approximately 0.05 Pa if a fluff layer existed, and increases to about 0.1 Pa in the absence of a fluff layer.