The Stability of Fine-grained Sediments from the Fraser River Delta

The stability and erodibility of benthic fine-grained sediments on the foreshore and upper foreslope of the Fraser River delta were measured using thein situbenthic flume—Sea Carousel. The erosion threshold [τc(0)], which varied between 0•11 and 0•50 Pa, was inversely related to erosion rate. It was also proportional to sediment wet bulk density (ρb) in the form: τc(0)=7×10−4 ρb−0•47. This trend agreed with those obtained from four other sites across Canada that encompassed a wide range in sediment densities: 1000<ρb<2000 kg m−3. Erosion threshold Shields parameter (θc) was positively related to grain Reynolds number over the silt-clay size range (0•01