| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | June 22, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 22, 2016 |
| Award Number: | 1632938 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Justin Lawrence
jlawrenc@nsf.gov (703)292-2425 EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2016 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $260,649.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $260,649.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1000 E UNIVERSITY AVE LARAMIE WY US 82071-2000 (307)766-5320 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
WY US 82071-2000 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
Geomorphology & Land-use Dynam, Sedimentary Geo & Paleobiology |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Bed forms, ripples and dunes, are key indicators of water flow and sediment transport in sandy rivers, and therefore they are vital to understanding river management, coastal restoration, and surface water reservoir sedimentation. Additionally, they leave deposits that are a record of the ancient river conditions that create sedimentary rocks. These deposits can be used to determine the conditions of formation of subsurface reservoirs for water and hydrocarbons. To date, almost ubiquitously, models applied to bed form problems have used constant geometries representing bed forms that migrate to move sediment and create strata. This is in stark contrast to models of river processes that capture the dynamic nature of Earth's surface environments.
This project will test a set of hypotheses derived by applying a dynamic model of bed form behavior to problems in 1) sediment transport mechanics, 2) bed material sediment flux, and 3) generation of fluvial stratigraphy. This will be accomplished through a suite of laboratory experiments, and relationships developed in these experiments will then be applied to interpreting ancient fluvial strata. The results of this project will benefit modern river planning, subsurface reservoir modeling, understanding of Earth's natural history, and the applied problems associated with these topics.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The focus of this project has been to develop quantitative understanding of rivers from their sedimentary deposits as related to conditions for moving sediment.
For Intellectual Merit, the project has been successful from the standpoint of not falsifying our three main hypotheses. We conclude that ripples and dunes in river are explicitly related to conditions within rivers and that they are also a quantitative predictor of the deposits that rivers leave behind. We developed models to estimate sand transport in rivers from a variety of data types. These models are likely to be used by a wide range of geologists, hydrologists, and engineers. The project partially supported two dissertations as well as 4 peer-reviewed manuscripts to-date. The dissemination of information learned has also occurred through a short course. This was offered once through the University of Wyoming, was canceled once along with its hosting conference in spring 2020, and will be offered again in the future.
For Broader Impact, the project supported at various times, a group 7 individuals that hav gone on to faculty and research science positions, advanced degrees, and other scholarly pursuits. It also contributed to the maintenance of experimental facilities at the University of Wyoming for studying rivers. The project was a major supporter of an art-science collaboration around patterns that used a miniature river tank to create ripples in a classroom to inspire art students to find and communicate about patterns in nature. Finally, the project has added to the curriculum at the University of Wyoming.
Last Modified: 09/29/2021
Modified by: Brandon Mcelroy
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