Role of Organic Matter Present in the Water Column on Turbidity Flows
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsGeneral comments:
The paper presents a sound and interesting experimental investigation into the effects of suspended organic matter on turbidity flows, with a particular focus on sediment-flocculant interactions. The authors have carried out well-designed experiments, and their observations offer valuable insights into the impact of flocculation on flow dynamics.
The manuscript is well-written and structured, making it accessible to readers from various backgrounds. The authors' detailed presentation of the experimental setup and their discussion of the results provide a comprehensive understanding of the phenomena at play.
Overall, this paper represents an important contribution to the field. The work is highly relevant for researchers and practitioners involved in sediment transport, environmental engineering, and water resource management. The conclusions drawn are well-supported by the data, and the study opens up possibilities for further research into the broader implications of flocculation on turbidity flow behavior.
Minor changes:
Line 76: Correct “floc- culants”
Line 84: Correct "mat- ter"
Line 88: Correct “floc- culant”
Line 90: Correct "particu- lar"
Line 99: Change "Section 3" to "Section 2" and "Section 4" to "Section 3"
Line 101: Rephrase "The Supplementary materials are included in Section 8."
Figure 1: Introduce a text describing the figure content in the paper text before its insertion.
Line 130: Remove the space in "2.2 . Methods"
Figure 2: Complete the caption with information about S01, S02 (siphons) and BO1, BO2, and Bo3 (bottom outlets)
Line 250: Delete "Section 8"
Line 261: Correct "com- pared"
Line 264: Correct "mea- surements."
Figure 6: Insert the figure after an introductory text.
Lines 284-285: Remove the text from the figure caption.
Figure 7: Insert the figure after an introductory text.
Figure 8: Complete the caption with information for graphs a) and b)
Line 345: Correct “floc- culant”
Figures 9 and 10: Complete the caption with information for graphs a) to d).
Line 367: Correct "envi- ronment."
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageThe English is fine.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer 1, Thank you for your time to read and review my manuscript. I appreciate your comments. I have made all the necessary corrections to each of the above comments. Please see the attachment.
Thank you
With regards
Shaheen Wahab
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI have thoroughly read the article, which presents a detailed investigation into the effects of organic matter, particularly synthetic flocculants, on the propagation of turbidity currents in marine environments. This study is of great significance as it addresses a crucial issue in deep-sea mining and dredging activities.
However, the authors are encouraged to address the following concerns:
1- Please better explain turbidity currents, and how the presence of flocculants influences their propagation in water.
2- Please describe the lock exchange flume experiment setup used in the study. How were sediment and flocculant concentrations controlled and measured?
3- What are the main differences between the behavior of turbidity currents with anionic polyelectrolyte Zetag 4120 and cationic polyelectrolyte Zetag 7587?
4- How does flocculation affect the settling velocities of particles in turbidity flows, according to the FlocCAM and Malvern particle size analysis?
5- Please explain why limiting the spread of sediment plumes is important.
6- What role does organic matter play in the flocculation process in marine environments, and how was this mimicked in the experiments using synthetic flocculants?
7- Please discuss the relationship between floc size, flocculant dosage, and the resulting particle size distribution observed in the experiments.
8- What conclusions did the researchers draw regarding the lubrication effect of polymers on the movement of turbidity currents?
9- Based on the findings of this study, what are the potential implications for future research or practical applications in controlling sediment plume dispersion during dredging or mining activities?
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageModerate editing of the English language is required.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer 2, Thank you for your time to read and review my manuscript. I appreciate your comments. I have made all the necessary corrections to each of the above comments. Please see the attachment.
Thank you
With regards
Shaheen Wahab
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors have presented a study about the flocculation effect of mineral sediment in water with organic matter. The results are interesting and aligned with the journal's scope. Nevertheless, the paper has many aspects that need to be addressed before it is considered for publication. Following, I include a series of comments aimed at enhancing the detected problems. Some of these problems are merely linked to the format, while others are linked to the paper's need for content.
1. The authors have not added their affiliations or contact data in the paper. Please correct it.
2. Avoid using terms in the keywords that have been previously used in the paper title. Please provide new keywords for organic matter turbidity flow.
3. In MDPI papers, Highlights are not used. Please check the template.
4. I would not recommend that the authors use subsections in the introduction. Considered deleting the subsections and keeping the content as a single section.
5. There are some aspects linked to turbidity that are not analysed in the introduction. The existing turbidity monitoring technologies, which are common nowadays, should be included. Following, I include two recent publications for turbidity monitoring based on different approaches and differentiate different types of turbidity:
a. Parra, L., Ahmad, A., Sendra, S., Lloret, J., & Lorenz, P. (2024). Combination of Machine Learning and RGB Sensors to Quantify and Classify Water Turbidity. Chemosensors, 12(3), 34.
b. Noh, H., Kwon, S., Park, Y. S., & Woo, S. B. (2024). Application of RGB UAV imagery to sea surface suspended sediment concentration monitoring in coastal construction site. Applied Ocean Research, 145, 103940.
6. The paper's aim and novelty must be presented in a single paragraph.
7. Please include two paragraphs between section and subsection titles. For example, between 2. Materials and Method, and 2.1. Materials, as well as between 2.1. Materials and 2.1.1 Clay. The same comment applies to other similar cases in sections 2 and 3.
8. Please check the titles' format (letter font and size) since there are some errors.
9. Include a scheme that summarises the 2.2. methods information.
10. In the discussion, there is a complete absence of a literature review and comparison of results. The discussion must be divided into different subsections, analysing the relationship between existing knowledge and provided results, the impact of the results and the limitations of the study.
11. A conclusions section must be added.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer 3, Thank you for your time to read and review my manuscript. I appreciate your comments. I have made all the necessary corrections to each of the above comments. Please see the attachment.
Thank you
With regards
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe concerns are addressed and the manuscript can be accepted.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageMinor improvements are required.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI have no additional concerns
