Development of an Empirical Formula in Predicting the Suspended Sediment Load by Dimensional Analysis Method (Case Study: Barandoz River)

Obtaining appropriate and accurate methods in predicting the sediment load of rivers is of particular importance due to its negative effects on water quality indicators, reducing the capacity of reservoirs and changing the morphology of rivers. Also, the suspended sediment load in rivers is usually determined by hydrological methods. The aim of the present research is to link the suspended sediment load to the hydraulic-hydrological-morphological parameters of the river. To achieve this goal, dimensional analysis method was used. The measured data from two hydrometric stations on the Barandoz River-Urmia Lake basin were used to extract non-linear relationships in predicting the suspended sediment load. The evaluation of the estimated values of the new relationship revealed that the final presented equation has a 25% error in estimating the suspended sediment load compared to measured data, which indicates the appropriate accuracy in estimating the sediment load in rivers.