scholarly journals Relationships Between Bed - Material Load and Bedform Migration, Fraser River Estuary, British Columbia

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A Kostaschuk ◽  
S A Ilersich ◽  
J L Luternauer
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Material Load ◽  
Bed Material

Bedforms, bed material, and bedload transport in a salt-wedge estuary: Fraser River, British Columbia

1989 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1440-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Kostaschuk ◽  
M. A. Church ◽  
J. L. Luternauer
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
River Discharge ◽  
Bedload Transport ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuations ◽  
Salt Wedge ◽  
Migration Rates ◽  
Material Load ◽  
Bed Material

The lower main channel of the Fraser River, British Columbia, is a sand-bed, salt-wedge estuary in which variations in velocity, discharge, and bedform characteristics are contolled by river discharge and the tides. Bed-material composition remains consistent over the discharge season and in the long term. Changes in bedform height and length follow but lag behind seasonal fluctuations in river discharge. Migration rates of bedforms respond more directly to river discharge and tidal fall than do height and length. Bedform characteristics were utilized to estimate bedload transport in the estuary, and a strong, direct, but very sensitive relationship was found between bed load and river discharge. Annual bedload transport in the estuary is estimated to be of the order of 0.35 Mt in 1986. Bedload transport in the estuary appears to be higher than in reaches upstream, possibly because of an increase in sediment movement along the bed to compensate for a reduction in suspended bed-material load produced by tidal slack water and the salt wedge.

Uptake of Selected Organochlorine Contaminants in Fishes Resident in the Fraser River Estuary, Vancouver, British Columbia

1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 733-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.H. Rogers ◽  
J.S. Macdonald ◽  
M. Sadar
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Control Fish ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
The North ◽  
Organochlorine Contaminants

Abstract Starry flounders, prickly sculpins and other resident fishes were captured in the Lower Fraser River in the summers of 1987, 1988 and 1989. Control fish were taken from the estuary of the uncontaminated Homathko River on the B.C. coast in 1987 and 1988. The fish were analysed for chlorophenols, chloroguaiacols and PCBs. The residues most commonly detected were PCBs, tetra-and pentachlorophenol. Fish from the Main Arm contained PCBs that resembled Arochlor 1248 whereas those from the North Arm contained PCBs that resembled a mixture of Arochlors 1254 and 1260. Chloroguaiacol uptake was greater in flounders than in other species. Although PCBs appear to have declined markedly in the Lower Fraser from values published in the early 1970s, there is a need to measure the coplanar fraction to understand their toxic significance to the food chain. Tetra- and pentachlorophenol have declined following a change by industry to the use of alternative sapstain prevention treatments.

Sediment transport by tidal currents and implications for slope stability: Fraser River delta, British Columbia

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 852-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Kostaschuk ◽  
J. L. Luternauer ◽  
J. V. Barrie ◽  
P. H. Leblond ◽  
L. Werth Von Deichmann
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
Slope Failure ◽  
Tidal Currents ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
Fraser River Delta ◽  
Material Load ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Bed Material

Tidal currents on the sandy, southern slope of Fraser River delta have generated dunes with heights of 0.5–3.5 m and lengths of 11–108 m. Dune geometry and migration measurements indicate net sediment transport to the northwest in the direction of flood tidal currents. Two current meters moored in the dune field showed greater frequencies of occurrence and higher mean current speeds in the flood direction compared with the ebb. Predictions from two bed-material load models indicate sediment transport is overwhelmingly dominated by flood currents. There is no obvious source of sand to replace sediment transported in the dune field, suggesting net erosion of the surface. A previous analysis of bathymetric data also shows recent erosion of the lower slope and overall slope steepening. These patterns of erosion could lead to slope failure and damage to coastal structures.

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