Abstract
A sediment trap is a container deployed in the water column with the aim of providing a representative sample of the material settling through that water column before it passes to a greater depth and ultimately to the seabed or lake bottom. A review of the previous literature shows cylinders and baffled funnels to be the most efficient sediment trap design in flows less than 0.1 m/s. For flow velocities above 0.1 m/s recent evidence suggests upwelling from the trap base, and possible undercollection. The degree of undercollection depends on the flow velocity, the type of trap, the height: diameter (aspect) ratio of the trap, and the type of sediment. Recent experiments suggest that cylinders with an aspect ratio of ⩾3 may be efficient collectors in velocities up to 0.2 m/s. The use of cylinders is not recommended in velocities above 0.2 m/s. For unbaffled asymmetric funnels a lower limit of 0.12 m/s is suggested.
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White, J. (1990). The Use of Sediment Traps in High-Energy Environments. In: Hailwood, E.A., Kidd, R.B. (eds) Marine Geological Surveying and Sampling. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0615-0_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0615-0_12
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