Water Resources Research Act Program

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Details for Project ID 2017MD345B

Seismo-Acoustic Observation of Cavitation and Erosive Potential in a Bedrock River (Graduate Fellowship)

Institute: Maryland
Year Established: 2017 Start Date: 2017-03-01 End Date: 2017-09-30
Total Federal Funds: $6,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $12,000

Principal Investigators: Karen Prestegaard, Kaye Brubaker

Project Summary: Field measurements during high discharges are hazardous, but they are essential for documenting erosion processes and engineered structure stability. Non-contact geophone and hydrophone networks have been developed to monitor river turbulence and sediment transport. I propose to apply these methods to study cavitation, a theorized bedrock erosion process, in both flume and field settings. I will use the UMD research flume to characterize cavitation signals. The field study will be along a 120-m bedrock reach of the NW Branch of the Anacostia River. An along-channel seismic network will be used to monitor spatial variations in erosive potential during high flows.