Sediment Particle Velocity and Activity During Dune Migration

Abstract The processes underlying sediment transport mechanics are still debated. Here, we present novel ensemble particle bedload measurements, obtained with high‐frequency imaging of particle velocities and activity over various bedform migration stages. We show that the bedload particle flux quickly responds to the unsteady non‐uniform flow over the bed. Mean particle velocity linearly increases over the dune slopes towards the crest. In contrast, particle activity exhibits a power law increase over the dune slopes, with the top layer almost saturating in the saltation regime. Furthermore, the spatial and temporal variability of particle motion over dune slopes is high. For lower flow, spatial and temporal variability from small‐scale topography, such as superposed bedforms, spurs, and irregular crestlines, are shown to be important for quantifying sediment dynamics. With increasing flow, however, the cross‐stream particle velocities increase significantly, influenced by the large‐scale dune topography (transverse slopes). Overall, variability in the particle flux increases with both flow strength and frequency of turbulent events. For the mean particle flux over the dune slopes, however, differences between neighboring dunes are large, which are attributed to dune topography variations and flow acceleration. The presented insights are essential to validate numerical simulations of sediment dynamics in three‐dimensional flow conditions over dune beds.