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Flocculation Potential of Estuarine Particles: The Importance of Environmental Factors and of the Spatial and Seasonal Variability of Suspended Particulate Matter

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Abstract

Estuarine systems are complex environments where seasonal and spatial variations occur in concentrations of suspended particulate matter, in primary constituents, and in organic matter content. This study investigated in the laboratory the flocculation potential of estuarine-suspended particulate matter throughout the year in order to better identify the controlling factors and their hierarchy. Kinetic experiments were performed in the lab with a “video in lab” device, based on a jar test technique, using suspended sediments sampled every 2 months over a 14-month period at three stations in the Seine estuary (France). These sampling stations are representative of (1) the upper estuary, dominated by freshwater, and (2) the middle estuary, characterized by a strong salinity gradient and the presence of an estuarine turbidity maximum. Experiments were performed at a constant low turbulent shear stress characteristic of slack water periods (i.e., a Kolmogorov microscale >1,000 µm). Flocculation processes were estimated using three parameters: flocculation efficiency, flocculation speed, and flocculation time. Results showed that the flocculation that occurred at the three stations was mainly influenced by the concentration of the suspended particulate matter: maximum floc size was observed for concentrations above 0.1 g l−1 while no flocculation was observed for concentrations below 0.004 g l−1. Diatom blooms strongly enhanced flocculation speed and, to a lesser extent, flocculation efficiency. During this period, the maximum flocculation speed of 6 µm min−1 corresponded to a flocculation time of less than 20 min. Salinity did not appear to automatically enhance flocculation, which depended on the constituents of suspended sediments and on the content and concentration of organic matter. Examination of the variability of 2D fractal dimension during flocculation experiments revealed restructuring of flocs during aggregation. This was observed as a rapid decrease in the floc fractal dimension from 2 to 1.4 during the first minutes of the flocculation stage, followed by a slight increase up to 1.8. Deflocculation experiments enabled determination of the influence of turbulent structures on flocculation processes and confirmed that turbulent intensity is one of the main determining factors of maximum floc size.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was partly provided by the European INTERREG III RIMEW programme and the Seine Aval Program. Romaric Verney was funded through a grant provided by the Regional Council of Haute Normandie (France). We would like to thank Mrs. Irene Zimmerlin for her work on SEM observations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFREMER, DYNECO-PHYSED, BP70, 29280, Plouzane Cedex, France

    Romaric Verney

  2. UMR CNRS 6143 M2C, University of Rouen, 76821, Mont Saint Aignan Cedex, France

    Robert Lafite

  3. UMR CNRS 6143 M2C, University of Caen, 24 Allée des Tilleuls, 14000, Caen, France

    Jean-Claude Brun-Cottan

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  1. Romaric Verney
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Correspondence to Romaric Verney.

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Verney, R., Lafite, R. & Brun-Cottan, JC. Flocculation Potential of Estuarine Particles: The Importance of Environmental Factors and of the Spatial and Seasonal Variability of Suspended Particulate Matter. Estuaries and Coasts 32, 678–693 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-009-9160-1

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