Significance Quantitative prediction of bedload transport in mountain rivers is a key component in assessing water-related hazards and advancing hydraulic engineering applications. However, bedload transport rates exhibit substantial spatio-temporal variability under given flow conditions, leading to a limited understanding of bedload transport processes due to measurement difficulties, particularly in steep mountain streams. This study aims to emphasize research progress in monitoring technology for bedload transport in mountain rivers to advance quantitative measurement of bedload rates. Progress Direct and indirect methods were generally two typical approaches for measuring bedload transport rate. The traditional direct methods measured the transported bedload mass using installed physical samplers and traps on the riverbed for a short time duration. These direct methods for measuring bedload were generally of low efficiency and limited accessibility due to the complex mechanisms of the bedload transport process, which made it challenging to obtain continuous and long-term bedload rates under large flow discharges and steep mountain streams. In contrast, the indirect methods, particularly the acoustic-based monitoring devices, including piezoelectric sensors, hydrophones, microphones, geophones, and seismometers, provided long-term continuous data on the bedload transport process. Bedload transport triggered high-frequency acoustic vibrations, which offered new perspectives for bedload measurement and can be translated into bedload transport rates based on model inversion. Considerable efforts were made toward developing various acoustic bedload monitoring systems, which were constructed and utilized to record high-frequency acoustic vibrations generated by inter-collisions among particles and by bedload particles impacting the riverbed, with the goal of improving the understanding of the bedload transport process. These acoustic-based indirect bedload monitoring technologies included the use of the node seismometer system, the hydrophone or underwater microphone system, the acoustic Doppler current profiler, the Swiss plate geophone (SPG) system, the mini-plate accelerometer (MPA) system, the Japanese pipe microphone (JPM) system, the phased microphone array (PMA) system, and the square pipe system (SPS). The acoustic signals recorded by these systems were utilized to analyze the acoustic sources and ultimately served to derive the bedload transport fluxes and grain size distributions based on calibration relationships that linked sediment-generated signals with bedload characteristics such as particle size and transport mass. However, significant discrepancies between predictions and observations were found, possibly due to variations in the spatial impact locations of bedload particles, impact angles, particle shapes, streamflow velocities, grain size distributions, and particle transport modes. The key issues in monitoring the bedload transport process using high-frequency acoustic signals were summarized in the following four aspects: 1) the construction of a multimodal acoustic monitoring system to fully record the high-frequency signals generated by transported bedload mass impacting the system plate or riverbed; 2) the characteristic analysis and processing of bedload-generated signals through noise reduction, convolutional transformation, and characterization of vibration signals to obtain signal packets, numbers of signal impulses, maximum amplitudes, and characteristic frequencies including centroid and peak frequencies, power spectral de-nsity, and other important parameters; 3) the development of algorithms for interpreting bedload-generated high-frequency signals, including localization of the acoustic source, establishment of the physical model of the acoustic source, and construction of the signal propagation and attenuation model; and 4) the inversion of physical parameters of bedload transport, utilizing the vibration signals with established quantitative calibration models to calculate key parameters such as particle size, transport velocity, and transport rate. Conclusions and Prospects In this study, the research progress on high-frequency signals utilized to monitor the process of bedload transport in steep mountain rivers is summarized based on the four aspects mentioned above, in combination with the latest findings of the authors. The current discussion addresses several issues confronting this research field and provides recommendations to overcome these challenges. Of particular concern are the inversion models and calibration relationships between the generated acoustic signals and bedload transport, whose adaptability to different river environments remains open for further investigation. In addition, persistent issues such as the limited diversity of monitoring methodologies and the challenges related to the comprehensive recording of signal characteristics continue to present obstacles. In response to these challenges, the authors recommend developing a robust and comprehensive acoustic monitoring system based on multiple sensors. In addition, the study emphasizes the necessity of conducting more detailed investigations into the source mechanisms of bedload-generated signals to enhance the understanding of the complex interactions between acoustic signals and bedload transport dynamics. In addition, the systematic establishment of databases that correlate various signal response indicators with bedload transport characteristics is essential. Finally, integrating insights from machine learning theory can provide improved predictive capabilities, enhancing the accuracy of inferring bedload transport rates from generated signals. Accordingly, this study provides a scientific reference for advancing the monitoring of bedload transport in steep mountain rivers, quantitatively assessing hydrological hazards, and guiding the construction and long-term operation of hydraulic engineering str-uctures.
声学多普勒流速剖面仪(acoustic Doppler current profiler,ADCP)也已成功应用于推移质输沙监测中[66],成为推移质主动测量系统之一。通常使用船载ADCP系统主动向水体中发射脉冲声波,该声波在水体中传播过程中被悬移质等颗粒散射,最终被推移质层反射。因此,ADCP系统通过分析回波信号判识推移质形状、粒径等重要信息。此外,回波信号中还带有由运动物体造成的频率偏移,因此,通过分析多普勒频移效应还可以获得推移质的输移速率,最终达到监测推移质输沙通量的目的。为进一步提高效率与精度,采用多波束声纳技术同时发射多个不同方向的超声波束,通过分析回波信号,亦可快速获取河底沙波形态、推移质位置等信息。
在利用冲击板式推移质监测系统(SPG及MPA等)监测推移质输沙的过程中,监测数据显示推移质输沙带在断面上有极大的非均匀性。Nicollier等[43]报道了瑞士Navisence山区河流推移质监测结果,数据显示推移质输沙带主要集中在河流中部位置,但所有监测系统均检测到推移质动力冲击作用所产生的震动信号。这类非均匀性的推移质冲击作用所产生的视在信号波包(apparent signal packet)的电压振幅可达3.2 V,使得反演输沙量有所偏差。所谓“视在”,即参数覆盖区间,这里特指波动传播范围。视在信号为推移质颗粒冲击作用在G(i)(i=1,2,…,i)传感板由信号传播影响范围内的检波器G(j)(j=1,2,…, j≠i)所记录到的信号,其物理意义可以被认为是由波动传播所造成的噪声信号。
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