Assessment of Chloride Salt Release Flux from Fluidized Cohesive Sediments in Quiescent Water

The assessment of chloride salt release from sediments is important for environmental and water resource protection. However, the reliability of computational models for chloride salt release flux from cohesive sediment beds is limited because the models do not consider the fluidization and fine particle characteristics of cohesive sediment beds. In this study, 398 experiments were conducted to investigate the chloride salt release flux of cohesive sediment beds that had been fluidized to various degrees. The degree of fluidization was reflected by the magnitude of sediment yield stress. The authors found that sediment yield stress is a relevant and critical indicator of chloride salt release flux. The lower the yield stress, the higher the chloride salt release flux. The content and size of fine particles in cohesive sediment beds were indicated by the magnitude of surface coefficient of fine particles. The chloride salt release flux decreases with the surface coefficient of fine particles, and increases with temperature and the salinity difference between the cohesive sediment bed and the overlying water column. An empirical formula was proposed to calculate the chloride salt release flux from a cohesive sediment bed in quiescent water. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the assessment and management of water salinization.