长江中下游河床沉积物分布特征

对长江中下游武汉至河口段304处河床沉积物样品进行了粒度测量与分析,通过各参数间的模拟、统计及对比,探讨了沉积物粒度、水动力因素及河床地貌三者间的关系。研究结果表明：本区河床沉积物以中、细砂为主,床底搬运十分微弱,河道相对稳定;从上至下沿程有明显的“粗-细-粗-细”粒径变化,主要反映河流动力地貌、动力沉积特征;粒径在河床的沿程分布总体为北粗南细,说明北岸侵蚀,南岸淤积的特点。研究同时也表明,颗粒因河型不同而迥异;颗粒偏态度-峭度在不同河型中表现各异,对区分顺直微弯分汊和鹅头形分汊河道尤为显著。     

Urban transformation of river landscapes in a global context

Over the past 50 years considerable progress has been made in understanding the impacts of urban development on river processes and forms. Such advances have occurred as urban population growth has accelerated around the world. Using a compilation of research results from more than 100 studies conducted in a range of areas (58 addressing morphological change), this paper describes how urbanization has transformed river landscapes across Earth’s surface, emphasizing the distribution of impacts in a global comparative context. Urban development induces an initial phase of sediment mobilization, characterized by increased sediment production (on the order of 2–10 times) and deposition within channels, followed by eventual decline that couples with erosion from increased runoff to enlarge channels. Data from humid and temperate environments around the world indicate that channels generally enlarge to 2–3 times and as much as 15 times the original size. Although research has emphasized temperate environments, recent studies of tropical areas indicate a tendency for channel reduction resulting from strong sediment erosion and deposition responses because of intense precipitation and highly weathered soils. Embryonic research in arid environments further suggests variable river responses to urbanization that are characterized by rapid morphological change over short distances. Regardless of location, the persistence of the sediment production phase varies from months to several years, whereas several decades are likely needed for enlarging channels to stabilize and potentially reach a new equilibrium. Urbanizing streams pose particular challenges for management given an inherent changing nature. Successful management requires a clear understanding of the temporal and spatial variations in adjustment processes.     

Rapid grain size coarsening at sandstone/conglomerate transition: similar expression in Himalayan modern rivers and Pliocene molasse deposits

Radical grain size changes between two main units of a sedimentary megacycle in a foreland basin are commonly interpreted to result from changes in tectonic activity or climate in the adjacent mountain range. In central Nepal, the Cenozoic Siwalik molasse deposits exposed in the frontal Himalayan folds are characterized by such a radical grain size transition. Locally gravel deposits completely replace sands in vertical succession over approximately a hundred metres, the median grain size (D₅₀) displaying a sharp increase by a factor of ca. 100. Such a rapid gravel‐sand transition (GST) is also observed in present‐day river channels about 8–20 km downstream from the outlet of the Siwalik Range. The passage from gravel‐bed channel reaches (proximal alluvial fans) to sand‐bed channel reaches (distal alluvial fans) occurs within a few kilometres on the Gangetic Plain in central Nepal, and the D₅₀ ratio between the two types of channels equals ca. 100. We propose that the dramatic and remarkably similar increase in grain size observed in the Neogene Siwalik series and along modern rivers in the Gangetic foreland basin, results from a similar hydraulic process, i.e. a grain sorting process during the selective deposition of the sediment load. The sudden appearance of gravels in the upper Siwalik series would be related to the crossing of this sorting transition during progressive southward migration of the gravel front, in response to continuous Himalayan orogen construction. And as a consequence, the GST would be diachronous by nature. This study demonstrates that an abrupt change in grain size does not necessarily relate to a change in tectonic or climatic forcing, but can simply arise from internal adjustment of the piedmont rivers to the deposition and run out of coarse bedload. It illustrates, in addition, the genesis of quartz‐rich conglomerates in the Himalayan foreland through gravel selective deposition associated with differential weathering, abrasion processes and sediment recycling during thrust wedge advance and shortening of the foreland basin.     

Fluvial sediment transport and deposition following the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo

The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo generated extreme sediment yields from watersheds heavily impacted by pyroclastic flows. Bedload sampling in the Pasig–Potrero River, one of the most heavily impacted rivers, revealed negligible critical shear stress and very high transport rates that reflected an essentially unlimited sediment supply and the enhanced mobility of particles moving over a smooth, fine-grained bed. Dimensionless bedload transport rates in the Pasig–Potrero River differed substantially from those previously reported for rivers in temperate regions for the same dimensionless shear stress, but were similar to rates identified in rivers on other volcanoes and ephemeral streams in arid environments. The similarity between volcanically disturbed and arid rivers appears to arise from the lack of an armored bed surface due to very high relative sediment supply; in arid rivers, this is attributed to a flashy hydrograph, whereas volcanically disturbed rivers lack armoring due to sustained high rates of sediment delivery. This work suggests that the increases in sediment supply accompanying massive disturbance induce morphologic and hydrologic changes that temporarily enhance transport efficiency until the watershed recovers and sediment supply is reduced.     

Spatial correspondence of knickzones and stream confluences along bedrock rivers in Japan: implications for hydraulic formation of knickzones

Knickzones, defined here as locally steep reaches including distinct knickpoints, in bedrock river morphology, have often been investigated in relation to local anomalies in lithology, tectonics, hydraulics, climate and associated base‐level change, and/or deformation of valley‐side slopes. However, exact formative causes of many knickzones in a humid, tectonically active island arc remain unclear. Using databases of geology, streams and knickzones, we examine knickzone distribution across the Japanese Archipelago to evaluate the effects of the stream network structure and rock type boundaries on knickzone formation. Knickzones are frequently found just upstream and downstream of major stream confluences along mainstreams, whereas knickzones are less frequent around major rock type boundaries. While the major confluences do not form hanging valleys due to similar catchment size, this observation suggests that many knickzones have been formed by the long‐term effect of flow turbulence scouring bedrock at the confluences. Such a hydraulic control on bedrock erosion in the steep Japanese mountains under humid climate conditions indicates that the formative cause of many knickzones therein can be autogenic by means of stream hydraulics.     

RIPARIAN VEGETATION AND SANDBAR MORPHOLOGY ALONG THE LOWER LITTLE COLORADO RIVER,ARIZONA

The distribution of riparian vegetation in relation to channel morphology is poorly understood in canyon rivers, which are characterized by in-channel fluvial sediment deposits rather than flood plains. This study focuses on vegetation and sandbar characteristics in two reaches of the lower Little Colorado River canyon in Arizona–one reach with ephemeral flow from the watershed, and another with perennial baseflow from a spring. Both reaches have been colonized by the exotic Tamarix chinensis, a riparian species known for its geomorphic influence on river channels. On the basis of a sampling of 18 bars, results show that vegetation frequency and density is significantly greater in the perennial study reach. However, sandbar morphology variables do not differ between reaches, despite a significantly narrower and deeper ephemeral channel. Hydraulic calculations of flood depths and Pearson correlations between bar and vegetation variables indicate reach-specific biogeomorphic relationships. In the ephemeral reach, higher bars are less affected by flood inundation, support older vegetation, and may be more stable habitat for vegetation. In the wider perennial reach where bars are lower and more expansive, vegetation patterns relate to bar size, Tamarix being most common on the largest bars. Overall results suggest that (1) vegetation variation relates to baseflow hydrology, (2) bar formation relates to high discharge events, and (3) vegetation patterns respond to, rather than influence, sandbar form in this canyon riparian system.     

Comparative analysis of channel processes on mountain,semi-mountain and plain rivers

The mechanisms and the specific character of flow-channel interaction and sediment transport that constitute the essence of river channel processes, vary over a wide range according to the flow rate of the rivers, their water regime, flow kinematics, the value of longitudinal gradient, and to the grain size and runoff of riverbed-forming sediments. Furthermore, the longitudinal gradient of a river is as important an energy characteristic as is the water flow rate, coupled with it, determines the capacity and character of a stream. Therefore the hydrological regime, varying over a wide range according to the longitudinal gradient, produces a variety of transport conditions for riverbed-forming sediments and – through them – the form of manifestation of channel processes.     

Fractionation of grain size in terrestrial sediment routing systems

Sediment is fractionated by size during its cascade from source to sink in sediment routing systems. It is anticipated, therefore, that the grain size distribution of sediment will undergo down‐system changes as a result of fluvial sorting processes and selective deposition. We assess this hypothesis by comparing grain size statistical properties of samples from within the erosional source region with those that have undergone different amounts of transport. A truncated Pareto distribution describes well the coarser half of the clast size distribution of regolith, coarse channel bed sediment and proximal debris flows (particularly their levees), as well as the coarser half of the clast size distribution of gravels that have undergone considerable amounts of transport in rivers. The Pareto shape parameter a evolves in response to mobilization, sediment transport and, importantly, the selective extraction of particles from the surface flow to build underlying stratigraphy. A goodness of fit statistic, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov vertical difference, illustrates the closeness of the observed clast size distributions to the Pareto, Weibull and log‐normal models as a function of distance from the depositional apex. The goodness of fit of the particle size distribution of regolith varies with bedrock geology. Bedload sediment at catchment outlets is fitted well by the log‐normal and truncated Pareto models, whereas the exponential Weibull model provides a less good fit. In the Eocene Escanilla palaeo‐sediment routing system of the south‐central Pyrenees, the log‐normal and truncated Pareto models provide excellent fits for distances of up to 80 km from the depositional apex, whereas the Weibull fit progressively worsens with increasing transport distance. A similar trend is found in the Miocene–Pliocene gravels of the Nebraskan Great Plains over a distance of >300 km. Despite the large fractionation in mean grain size and gravel percentage from source region to depositional sink, particle size distributions therefore appear to maintain log‐normality over a wide range of transport distance. Use of statistical models enables down‐system fractionation of sediment released from source regions to be better understood and predicted and is a potentially valuable tool in source‐to‐sink approaches to basin analysis.     

向海湿地元素地球化学特征与高分辨沉积记录

以内流河下游漫流区-向海沼泽湿地为研究对象,对其典型剖面沉积物的柱状样以厘米级间距采样,在多元统计分析的基础上,结合¹³⁷Cs、²¹⁰Pb测年数据对其进行高分辨率元素地球化学特征解析,以获取现代沉积记录及其与流域环境变化的关系。结果表明,主成分分析提取的第一主成分有较高的代表性;聚类分析将元素按造岩、迁移累积型、强烈迁移型元素归为三类;大多数金属元素之间存在着显著相关性,并且均与TOC、<63?μm粒径的颗粒呈正相关。典型剖面金属元素的高分辨沉积记录解析表明:向海的沼泽发育可以追溯至1885年之前;1885年左右区域环境发生过突变;近250年以来,暖湿气候与风沙、干旱交替出现;研究区沼泽湿地沉积物表层沉积序列内已明显富集了重金属元素,近年霍林河流域上游人类活动对下游湿地的扰动增强。     

Changeability of Movable Bed‐Surface Particles in Natural,Gravel‐Bed Channels and Its Relation to Bedload Grain Size Distribution (Scott River,Svalbard)

The presented paper analyses the variability of grain size distribution parameters of bedload transported by the gravel‐bed Scott River (Svalbard) draining a glacier catchment with an area of 10 km². The grain size distribution analysis is one of the basic elements of identification of the fluvial transport mechanisms in gravel‐bed rivers. It is used for the determination of threshold values for bedload movement. It is also treated as an important indicator of the origin, routes of distribution, and conditions of transport and deposition of fluvial bedload. The field study in a natural proglacial gravel‐bed channel was carried out at two reaches in the mouth section of Scott River. The study revealed relatively high temporal variability and similar mean parameters of grain size distribution in conditions of low discharges. Bedload transport rates reached a mean of 71.9–76.0 kg d^?1 in channel cross‐section. Bedload texture was dominated by gravels with a proportional contribution of the fine‐grained fraction along with very fine‐grained gravels (8‐2 mm) of 38.8%. The medium‐grained fraction (16‐8 mm) constituted 33.7%, with a lower contribution from the coarse‐grained fraction (32‐16 mm) of 23.2%, and the very coarse‐grained fraction (64‐32 mm) of 4.4%. Two periods in the course of bedload transport and distribution of grain size distribution parameters were distinguished based on variation of hydro‐meteorological conditions. The first half of the measurement period was distinguished by significantly higher values of daily loads and increased contribution of the coarse‐grained and very coarse‐grained fraction (28–31% and 6.2–6.6%, respectively). During this time, the river discharged up to 94% of bedload. This resulted in a clear tendency for riverbed scouring. The second half was distinguished by generally low daily bedload transport rates (<10 kg d^?1), an increase in contribution of fine‐ and very fine‐grained gravels (42–55.6%), and a change in the tendency to aggradation. Grain size indices were more varied, and grains were usually finer and better sorted. Selective transport processes, often related to redeposition, were dominant in the channel. Along with an increase in flow velocity, conditions for material deposition became more variable. This was manifested in weaker sorting and an increase in grain diameter.     

Influence of periglacial cover beds on in situ-produced cosmogenic Be in soil sections

Cover beds, widespread on hillslopes of temperate climate zones, represent layers of allochthonous material laterally transported by periglacial processes during the Late Pleistocene. Two soil sections comprised of cover beds from the Bavarian Forest, SE Germany, have been analysed for in situ-produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be. Major changes in the nuclide concentration agree well with soil section boundaries defined by field observations and grain size analyses. Numeric modeling of these cosmogenic nuclide sections demonstrates that simple continuous erosion and regolith mixing models fail to explain the measured nuclide concentrations. Instead, the measured data can be best described by modeling an admixture of material such as loess or reworked allochthonous material, which have different nuclide concentrations.A comparison of cosmogenic nuclide concentrations from the two cover bed sections with concentrations from river bedload sediments of the Regen catchment reveals that cover bed formation might affect the result of basin-wide erosion rate determinations based on cosmogenic nuclides. Nuclide concentration of river bedload is potentially a binary mixture produced by (1) spatial erosion of the soil surfaces; and (2) spatially nonuniform incision into deep cover bed layers that contributes sediment low in nuclide concentration.     

The response of slope and channel systems to various types of extreme rainfall: A comparison between the temperate zone and humid tropics

The mountain slopes and river channels of the temperate zone and of the humid tropics are modelled by various types of extreme rainfall. In the Flysch Carpathians the leading role is played by continuous rains causing floods and landslides, rainy seasons (wet years) mobilizing deep landslides and, to a smaller degree by local downpours. In the Darjeeling Himalaya with young relief and uplift tendency, the main influence on modelling the mountain slopes and river channels have been the extreme continuous rains separated by several decades of normal rainy season, playing the preparatory or relaxation role with simultaneous transformation of slopes and river channels. In both cases human impact has caused the acceleration of runoff and mobilization of sediment. The higher extremes of precipitation and steep slopes in the humid tropics are balanced (to some extent) in temperate zones by the lower infiltration rates and lower thresholds of mass mobility on the gentle slopes originated in the periglacial environment.     

Impact of recycling and lateral sediment input on grain size fining trends—Implications for reconstructing tectonic and climate forcings in ancient sedimentary systems

Grain size trends in basin stratigraphy are thought to preserve a rich record of the climatic and tectonic controls on landscape evolution. Stratigraphic models assume that over geological timescales, the downstream profile of sediment deposition is in dynamic equilibrium with the spatial distribution of tectonic subsidence in the basin, sea level and the flux and calibre of sediment supplied from mountain catchments. Here, we demonstrate that this approach in modelling stratigraphic responses to environmental change is missing a key ingredient: the dynamic geomorphology of the sediment routing system. For three large alluvial fans in the Iglesia basin, Argentine Andes we measured the grain size of modern river sediment from fan apex to toe and characterise the spatial distribution of differential subsidence for each fan by constructing a 3D model of basin stratigraphy from seismic data. We find, using a self‐similar grain size fining model, that the profile of grain size fining on all three fans cannot be reproduced given the subsidence profile measured and for any sediment supply scenario. However, by adapting the self‐similar model, we demonstrate that the grain size trends on each fan can be effectively reproduced when sediment is not only sourced from a single catchment at the apex of the system, but also laterally, from tributary catchments and through fan surface recycling. Without constraint on the dynamic geomorphology of these large alluvial systems, signals of tectonic and climate forcing in grain size data are masked and would be indecipherable in the geological record. This has significant implications for our ability to make sensitive, quantitative reconstructions of external boundary conditions from the sedimentary record.     

QUARTZ WEATHERING IN FREEZE–THAW CYCLES: EXPERIMENT AND APPLICATION TO THE EL'GYGYTGYN CRATER LAKE RECORD FOR TRACING SIBERIAN PERMAFROST HISTORY

The object of this study is to test the assumption that cryogenic weathering (here understood as in‐situ disintegration of rock under cold‐climate conditions including ice as a weathering agent) preferentially breaks up quartz grains. We apply the results of laboratory tests to a Quaternary sediment record. The combination of silt production, relative quartz enrichment in the silt fraction, and quartz grain micromorphology is traced in a multi‐100‐kyr lake sediment archive as indicator data for cryogenic weathering. Constant cryogenic weathering conditions are inferred for at least the last 220 000 years from a lake sediment core of El'gygytgyn Crater, northeast Russia. This is the longest continuous terrestrial archive currently known for the continental Arctic. Quartz enrichment in the fines evolves from seasonal freeze–thaw weathering as demonstrated in laboratory testing where over 100 freeze and thaw cycles crack quartz grains preferentially over feldspar. Microscopic grain features demonstrate that freeze–thaw cycling probably disrupts quartz grains along mineral impurities such as bubble trails, gas–liquid inclusions, or mineralogical sub‐grain boundaries. Single‐grain micromorphology (e.g. angular outlines, sharp edges, microcracks, brittle surfaces) illustrates how quartz becomes fragmented due to cryogenic cracking of the grains. The single‐grain features stemming from the weathering dynamics are preserved even after a grain is transported off site (i.e. in mobile slope material, in seasonal river run‐off, into a lake basin) and may serve as first‐order proxy data for permafrost conditions in Quaternary records.     

电站建设对澜沧江-湄公河泥沙年内分配的影响

采用澜沧江漫湾电站上游旧州站和下游允景洪、清盛站1987~2003 年逐月悬移质泥沙含量实测资料, 分析对比了三站年内泥沙分配不均匀系数、集中度和集中期、变化幅度等特性。将上述参数与澜沧江上游干流漫湾与大朝山电站建设的响应进行关联研究, 分析电站建设进程对河道输沙变化的驱动作用。结果表明: (1) 旧州水文站泥沙年内分配与区域气候变化 (降水) 趋势一致, 研究时段内不均匀性系数呈上升趋势, 维持天然河道输沙特性; 允景洪和 清盛水文站的泥沙年内分配不均匀性系数对电站建设等人类活动的响应程度不一致, 允景洪站泥沙含量不均匀系数先减小后急剧增加, 而清盛站呈微弱减小态势。(2) 旧州水文站泥沙年 内分配集中度及集中期基本无变化; 允景洪与清盛水文站的泥沙年内分配集中度变化较大, 泥沙集中期在在电站施工的高峰期(1987~1992 年、1997~2003 年) 后延, 且不同步, 允景洪在漫湾施工期后延5~6 天, 而清盛则后延将近半个月,而在大朝山施工期, 允景洪的后延响应 却明显于清盛。(3) 旧州站相对、绝对泥沙变幅逐时段递增, 允景洪站年内最大与最小月泥沙含量的相对、绝对变化幅度均减小, 清盛站泥沙含量的相对变化幅度却先增后减, 绝对变化 幅度则一直减小。三站泥沙年内极值变幅以及电站建设前后的响应差异, 说明三站泥沙变化的驱动因子有明显不同。这些关于泥沙含量年内分配特征规律的发现, 为研究澜沧江干流电站建设对上下游泥沙变化以及跨境影响的科学评价提供了新的佐证。     

Spatial identification and scenario simulation of the ecological transition zones under the climate change in China

Explicitly identifying the spatial distribution of ecological transition zones(ETZs) and simulating their response to climate scenarios is of significance in understanding the response and feedback of ecosystems to global climate change. In this study, a quantitative spatial identification method was developed to assess ETZ distribution in terms of the improved Holdridge life zone(iHLZ) model. Based on climate observations collected from 782 weather stations in China in the T0(1981–2010) period, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(IPCC CMIP5) RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 climate scenario data in the T1(2011–2040), T2(2041–2070), and T3(2071–2100) periods, the spatial distribution of ETZs and their response to climate scenarios in China were simulated in the four periods of T0, T1, T2, and T3. Additionally, a spatial shift of mean center model was developed to quantitatively calculate the shift direction and distance of each ETZ type during the periods from T0 to T3. The simulated results revealed 41 ETZ types in China, accounting for 18% of the whole land area. Cold temperate grassland/humid forest and warm temperate arid forest(564,238.5 km~2), cold temperate humid forest and warm temperate arid/humid forest(566,549.75 km~2), and north humid/humid forest and cold temperate humid forest(525,750.25 km~2) were the main ETZ types, accounting for 35% of the total ETZ area in China. Between 2010 and 2100, the area of cold temperate desert shrub and warm temperate desert shrub/thorn steppe ETZs were projected to increase at a rate of 4% per decade, which represented an increase of 3604.2, 10063.1, and 17,242 km~2 per decade under the RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 scenarios, respectively. The cold ETZ was projected to transform to the warm humid ETZ in the future. The average shift distance of the mean center in the north wet forest and cold temperate desert shrub/thorn grassland ETZs was generally larger than that of other ETZs, with the mean center moving to the northeast and the shift distance being more than 150 km during the periods from T0 to T3.In addition, with a gradual increase of temperature and precipitation, the ETZs in northern China displayed a shifting northward trend, while the area of ETZs in southern China decreased gradually, and their mean center moved to high-altitude areas. The effects of climate change on ETZs presented an increasing trend in China, especially in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.     

东北地区植被分布全球气候变化区域响应

根据东北地区生态气候环境和生物地理规律对Holdridge生命地带分类系统进行修正,将东北地区植被分为寒温带湿润森林、寒温带潮湿森林、温带湿润森林、暖温带湿润森林、温带半湿润森林草甸草原、温带半湿润草甸草原、温带半干旱典型草原、暖温带半湿润草甸草原和暖温带半干旱典型草原等9 个生命地带并分析了其空间分布特征。运用大气环流模式分析东北地区由于温室气体增加导致的气候变化趋势。以此为基础评价东北地区植被分布的区域响应。全球气候变暖情景下,东北地区暖温带和温带范围明显扩大,而寒温带范围缩小甚至退出东北地区,植被分布界限显著北移;同时湿润区面积减少半湿润区和半干旱区扩大,导致森林面积缩小草原面积扩大。     

气候变化对渭河上游径流量和输沙量的影响

利用渭河上游北道水文站的径流量和输沙量资料和渭河上游流域16个气象站的气象资料,分析了1951—2000年期间气候变化对渭河上游径流量和输沙量的影响。结果表明:渭河上游径流量变化总体呈下降趋势,跃变点发生在1967年,20世纪60年代径流量最大,90年代以后径流量最小。径流量的变化主要取决于流域降水量的变化。葫芦河支流流域的降水量对径流量变化的影响最为敏感,其次是榜沙河支流流域的降水量。输沙量的多少主要取决于上游降水量的多少和大雨的次数,其次是风速大小和大风次数的多少。     

黄河源区玛多盆地沙漠化土地粒度特征

为探讨黄河源区玛多盆地风沙沉积物分异特征,采集玛多盆地不同沙漠化程度、不同地貌部位、不同动力条件的沉积物样品进行粒度分析。结果表明：（1）玛多盆地沉积物随沙漠化程度增加,平均粒径增大,粗颗粒组分增多,分选性变好,偏度向负偏靠拢,峰态逐渐转向平坦,频率分布曲线也由双峰态转变为单峰态。（2）流动沙丘以中沙和细沙组分为主,分选性好,偏度近对称,峰度为中等尖锐。各个沙丘不同地貌部位沉积物粒度参数分异受风向改变的影响,变化规律不明显。流动沙丘沉积物相较于流动沙地沉积物的粒径更粗,分选性更好,可能是沙丘形成过程中风对沉积物颗粒的再次分选所致。（3）河流阶地剖面沉积物的主要粒级为中沙和细沙,分选中等偏差,偏度为正偏,峰尖锐,河流阶地沉积物的粒度组成与周围风成作用形成的流动沙丘（地）的粒度组成高度相似,极有可能是当地风沙活动的主要物源。     

Vegetation effects on sediment connectivity and processes in an ephemeral channel in SE Spain

High sediment delivery due to catchment and channel erosion can impact on waterway health and reservoir sedimentation. Methods that decrease sediment connectivity within the system are needed to address these potential impacts. Vegetation has the potential to decrease channel erosion and sediment transfers in dryland environments by increasing channel bed resistance and roughness. Detailed studies of vegetation and process interactions were undertaken within an ephemeral channel in SE Spain at three scales (channel network, reach and patch) by repeat surveys and mapping after floods. Connectivity mapping showed variations in vegetation type and density along the channel and that these influence sediment retention and channel erosion. Hydraulic calculations of vegetation roughness effects at 25 cross-sections down the channel indicate the influence of different vegetation type and characteristics. Particular attention was paid to the perennial grass Lygeum spartum because of its potential benefits in channel stabilisation. Sedimentation takes place within these reaches, mainly by trapping within and downstream of individual plants. Check dams have a profound influence on vegetation and sediment distribution in this channel but use of vegetated zones may be a more sustainable strategy of sediment control.