With or against the tide: The influence of bed form asymmetry on the formation of macroturbulence and suspended sediment patterns

This study examines tide‐dependent variations in the formation and dynamics of suspended sediment patterns coupled to mean flow and turbulence above asymmetric bed forms. In the Danish Knudedyb inlet, very large primary bed forms remain ebb‐oriented during a tidal cycle while smaller superimposed bed forms reverse direction with each tidal phase. Hydroacoustic in situ observations reveal pronounced differences in suspended sediment transport patterns between tidal phases caused by the relative orientation of primary bed forms and the mean tidal flow and flow unsteadiness during a single tidal phase. When flow and primary bed form orientation are aligned, water‐depth‐scale macroturbulence develops in the bed form lee‐sides in the presence of flow separation. Macroturbulent flow structures occur at high flow stages and are coupled to increased amounts of sediment in suspension. When flow and bed form orientation are opposed no evidence of flow separation associated with primary bed forms is found. Sediment‐laden macroturbulence at high flow velocities is of a smaller scale and attributed to the superimposed secondary bed forms. The flow structures are advected along the primary bed form stoss‐side (temporary hydraulic lee‐side). The steep primary bed form lee‐side (temporary hydraulic stoss‐side) however, limits transport capabilities beyond the scale of primary bed forms.