Nile Sedimentology

1
Nile Sedimentology

• 1.096 Preliminary Research
• Anthony Makana Paris
• 3.07.04

2
Stages of Sedimentation

• Erosion
• Entrainment
• Transportation
• Deposition
• Compaction

3
Erosion Sources of Nile Sediments

• Ethiopian Highlands (90)
• Travels through the Blue Nile and Atbara
• The sediment load is most significant during
  flood season (July-Oct.)
• 140 million tones per year

4
Transportation I

• Suspended Load
• particulates that travel while suspended in the
  water column
• Bed Load
• particulates that travel by rolling or sliding
  along the river bed

5
Transportation II

• As slope of Blue Nile diminishes so does the mean
  size of transported sediment
• Friction while traveling
• Flow rates decrease
• Suspended Load Distribution
• 30 Clay (lt0.002 mm)
• 40 Silt (0.002-0.02 mm)
• 30 Fine Sand (0.02-0.2 mm)

6
Reservoir Deposition I

• When river flow enters a reservoir, its velocity
  and transport capacity is reduced and its
  sediment load is deposited.
• The depositional pattern usually starts with
  coarser material depositing first followed by the
  fine creating a delta.
• Factors
• Detention Time
• Shape of reservoir
• Operating procedures

7
Reservoir Deposition II
8
Aswan Figures

• July 1.81
• Aug. 56.22
• Sep. 56.64
• Oct. 15.54
• Nov. 2.15
• Dec. 0.53

• 134-160 million tones/ yr
• Monthly Sediment Load (million tones)
• Jan. 0.29
• Feb. 0.15
• Mar. 0.11
• April 0.13
• May 0.08
• June 0.09

9
References

• Vito A. Vanoni. (1975) Sedimentation
  Engineering. American Society of Civil
  Engineers. pg. 1
• V. D. Novozhenin and A. M. Lapshin. (2000)
  Exploitation of Water and Hydropower Resources of
  the Nile. Hydrotechnical Construction, Vol. 24,
  Nos. 8-9. pg. 460.
• El Moushid, B. E. F., El Awad, O. M. A. Ahmed,
  S. E. (1997) Environmental effect of the Blue
  Nile sediment on reservoirs and irrigation
  canals. In 5th Nile 2002 Conf. (Addis Abada).
• M. Gamal Mostafa. Sediment Processes in the Nile
  River. (1981) Water Master Plan. UNDP
  Technical Report 12.
• Hurst, Black and Simaika. (1978) The Nile Basin,
  Vol. XI. Egyptian Government Press, Ciaro.