Application of a Luminescence-Based Sediment Transport Model

Abstract

Quantifying the transport history of sand is a challenging but important goal in geomorphology. In this paper, we take a simple idea that luminescence is bleached during transport and regenerates during storage, and use this as a basis to re-envision luminescence as a sediment tracer. We apply a mathematical model describing luminescence through an idealized channel and reservoir system and then compare this idealized model to real rivers to see if luminescence can reproduce known sediment transport data. We provide results from application of this luminescence method in three rivers from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. This method appears promising. However, as a river system diverges from idealized conditions of the mathematical model, the luminescence data diverge from model predictions. We suggest that spatial variation in the delivery of sediment from hillslopes can be reflected in the channel sediment luminescence and that luminescence acts as a function of landscape dynamics.