About this Research Topic

Background

Natural sediment in aquatic environments comprise non-cohesive sands and cohesive muds; these mixtures account for over 70% of sediments globally. Cohesive sediments strongly influence interplay between hydrodynamics and morphodynamics through a range of mechanisms; altering fluid properties, damping wave spectra, reducing turbulence, to zoning chemical species. Temporally, such interactions alter tidal currents and internal waves through to gravity-driven currents and tsunami flows, by alterations to sedimentary processes such as turbulence induced flocculation, and hindered deposition. Besides the physical aspects, ranges of complex bio-mediated processes and symbiotic relationships exist between biota, chemistry and sediment, which change cohesive sediment properties over time through numerous (poorly) understood mechanisms. Studying all these interactions and identifying the key processes in sediment dynamics require a multidisciplinary approach. This led to the creation of the MUDNET academic platform, hosted by the Technical University Delft (TUD) in the Netherlands. The goal of the research performed in the MUDNET group is to better understand the interrelationships between processes involved in the changes in cohesive sediment properties over time and space.

The goal of this Research Topic is to provide the readers of a state-of-the-art of the research regarding cohesive sediment, from a multi-disciplinary approach point of view. This will help researchers to widen their knowledge about the complex processes at stake, and, for instance, enable the creation or improvement of coupled numerical models which are used to study the fate of hydrocarbons in the ocean, the dispersion of cohesive sediment during plume dispersions or the impact of sediment properties on ecology.

For this Research Topic, we welcome papers that explore the relationship between two or more processes related to the properties of cohesive sediment, preferably based on a multidisciplinary approach. Laboratory, field, theoretical and numerical studies are welcome. The submitted articles can be in the form of Original Research, Methods and Perspectives, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Technology Reports, Hypothesis & Theory, Data Reports and Perspectives that explore the following themes or other related topics: Bio-sedimentary mediation, flocculation, nautical depth, fluid mud, applied rheology, contaminated sediments, relationships between hydrodynamics and morphodynamics, erosion-deposition, sediment transport models, numerical techniques to speed up coupled simulation.

Keywords: cohesive sediments, flocculation, consolidation, sediment transport, organic matter

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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