Effect of Water Temperature on Suspended Sediment Concentration and Particle Size in Ionized Water

Suspended sediment load to water bodies is governed by climate change and human activities. Fluctuation in water temperature due to climate change affects the suspended sediment deposition. In this study, laboratory experiments are conducted to understand the influence of water temperature on suspended sediment concentration and its particle size in ionized water. Experiments are conducted in an annular flume with kaolin (d50 = 6.9 μm) and ionized water by changing water temperature (30, 40, and 50 °C), bed shear stress (0.01, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.20 N/m2), and initial suspended sediment concentration (1, 2, and 4 g/L). Results show that rise in water temperature causes decrease in both settling flux and degree of deposition, but particle size increases. Variation in initial suspended sediment concentration has an inverse effect on settling flux and has minimum influence on degree of deposition. Size of suspended sediments showed direct relation with initial suspended sediment concentration.