Settling dynamics of muddy sediment in the Gironde-Garonne system

In the context of EMPHASE project (ANR-FRQ), two fields campaigns were carried out to determine the settling velocity and properties of suspended sediments during a semi-diurnal tidal cycle, as well as hydrodynamic conditions and water properties. The two sampling stations Bordeaux (Garonne Tidal River) and Fort Medoc (Gironde EStuary) were representative of two regions: a tidal river dominated by fresh water and an estuary affected by salty or brackish waters, inside the same land-sea continuum. Quasi in-situ measurements of settling velocity were carried out with a recently-patented instrument named System for the Characterisation of Aggregates and Flocs (SCAF).