Semester of Graduation

May 2018

Degree

Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)

Department

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The delivery of fluvial sediment to coastal margins is one of the major concerns for river and coastal morphodynamics. Relevant research has primarily focused on large rivers that transport substantial sediment load and thus are responsible for building deltaic landscapes. However, less research is concentrated on small coastal rivers. A need exists to better understand the sediment dynamics in small coastal rivers that have different backwater regimes than their larger counterparts. The main objective of this research was to examine the influence of backwater on the morphodynamics of a small coastal meandering river during a large flood event. The investigation focuses on gaining a better understanding of sediment transport dynamics and channel bed adjustments over a ~9 km reach of the Lower Amite River in southern Louisiana. A two-dimensional morphological model was developed for the Amite River to simulate the hydrodynamic and morphologic adjustments to elucidate the backwater variability on sediment transport. The two-dimensional model was developed with high-resolution bathymetric data obtained from the Multibeam echo sounders. The measured velocity and water stage data from field survey and United States Geological Survey were used to calibrate the model parameters. Backwater impact on river morphology adjustment assessed by considering the predicted sea level rise after 50 years from present condition.

Date

1-25-2018

Committee Chair

Ozdemir, Celalettin Emre

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.4381

Available for download on Friday, February 21, 2025

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