What do you mean by sediment budget?

Sediment budget refers to the balance between sediment added to and removed from the coastal system; in this respect the coastal sediment budget is like a bank account. When more material is added than is removed, there is a surplus of sediment and the shore builds seaward.

What is a sediment budget at the reach scale?

The sediment budget is a balance of volumes (or volume. rates of change) for sediments entering (source) and leaving. (sink) a selected region of coast, and the resulting erosion or. accretion in the coastal area under consideration.

Why is sediment budget important?

A sediment budget summarises the balance of inputs and outputs for a defined system (such as an estuary or coastal embayment) and time period. This helps determine if that system has an overall surplus (accretion) or deficit (erosion) of material, and therefore whether parts of a system are in balance/equilibrium.

Why is sediment budget so difficult to calculate properly?

As described by Komar (1996), estimating the volumetric contribution to the sediment budget is difficult, because the mere presence of carbonate sand does not give the rate at which it is being produced and lost due to abrasion.

What affects sediment budget?

Within a coastal environment, the rate of change of sediment depends on the amount of sediment brought into the system compared to the amount of sediment that leaves the system. Although human activity contributes to the budget it is predominantly natural process that contributes to the coastal sedimentary budget.

What are the sediment sources?

The main sources of sediment along coasts are: (1) the coastal landforms themselves, including cliffs and beaches; (2) the nearshore zone; and (3) the offshore zone and beyond.

What are the 3 main components of a sediment cell?

The sediment cell concept (sources, transfers and sinks) is important in understanding the coast as a system with both positive and negative feedback, it is an example of dynamic equilibrium.

What are the 4 types of sediments?

Sediments are also classified by origin. There are four types: lithogenous, hydrogenous, biogenous and cosmogenous. Lithogenous sediments come from land via rivers, ice, wind and other processes.

What does sediment analysis show?

Sediment analysis is primarily based on the recognition of the main sedimentary components, including the identification of heavy minerals and clay minerals for provenance studies (Weltje and Von Eynatten, 2004). Textural and structural analyses are based on standard routines and techniques used in sedimentology.