Influence of Suspended Sediment Concentration and Particle Sizes on the Sound Attenuation of the Fluvial Acoustic Tomography Technique

Fluvial Acoustic Tomography System (FATS) as an advanced technology acquires continuous streamflow data in rivers and estuaries even during floods. However, the acoustic signals are dramatically attenuated by suspending sediments which this problem is a new field of study. In this study, we propose a new equation to estimate the maximum applicable measurement distances (MAMDs). It is based on the cross-sectional suspended sediment concentration (<SSC>) and the particle sizes on the 30-kHz FATS. Our study results show that MAMD might be 2,380 m in the clear water. Moreover, the streamflow monitoring can be perfectly done while <SSC> is less than 12.67 kg/m3 with the particle radii of 3 μm, when the horizontal distance between two acoustic stations is 100 m. Also, the acoustic signals are not decayed if the particle radii equal to 20 mm and the maximum <SSC> is 6.6 kg/m3. This study highlights the performance of FATS in the presence of high <SSC> and provides a better perspective of applying FATS in different rivers with high variability of <SSC>.