Sediment transport modeling review—current and future developments

Abstract

The use of computational models for solving sediment transport and fate problems is relatively recent compared with the use of physical models. Several considerations govern the choice between physical and computational models; namely, the nature of the problem that needs to be solved, the available resources, and the overall cost associated with the problem solution. In some specific problems, a combination of physical and computational models can be used to obtain a better understanding of the processes under investigation (de Vries 1973). Using computational hydrodynamic/sediment transport models, in general, involves the numerical solution of one or more of the governing differential equations of continuity, momentum, and energy of fluid, along with the differential equation for sediment continuity. An advantage of computational models is that they can be adapted to different physical domains more