Total-Load Transport

The total amount of sediment transported through a given section of a river for the given flow and sediment bed conditions is called the total-load transport. Based on the mode of sediment transport, the total load is the sum of the bedload, suspended load, and wash load. The total load is also informally called the bed-material load as it contains only those sediment particles that come from the sediment bed excluding the wash load. There are two general approaches to determine the total load. They are indirect approach and direct approach. In indirect approach, bedload and suspended load are estimated separately and then added together to quantify the total load. In direct approach, the total-load function is directly determined without dividing it into bedload and suspended load. The methods of computation of total-load transport are illustrated through worked out examples.