Temporal distribution of suspended sediment transport in a humid Mediterranean badland area: The Araguás catchment, Central Pyrenees

This paper analyses the temporal patterns of suspended sediment yield in the Araguás catchment, Central Spanish Pyrenees, a small experimental catchment with extensive badlands. The catchment has been monitored since 2004 to study weathering, erosion, and hydrological and sediment responses to understand the superficial dynamics of a badland area in a relatively humid environment. The development of badlands in the Central Spanish Pyrenees is favoured by the presence of marls and a markedly seasonal climate. The continuous observation of selected physical parameters and environmental variables enables us to establish seasonal patterns of weathering processes and identify those factors that control regolith development. Freeze–thaw cycles in winter and wetting–drying in spring–summer are the main processes involved in regolith weathering, thereby controlling slope development in combination with rainfall-related erosion processes.The 64 floods recorded during the study period (December 2005 to January 2007) were used for a hydrosedimentological analysis. The main observed features indicate that the Araguás catchment reacts to all rainfall events, resulting in steep rising and recession limbs on the hydrograph and a very short time lag. Floods show high suspended sediment concentrations and a heterogeneous temporal distribution related to seasonal variations in surface runoff production. These differences increase the degree of complexity involved in studying sediment response. Suspended sediment concentration and transport mainly depend on rainfall volume, maximum rainfall intensity, peak flow, and runoff occurrence. Finally, the similarities among the obtained hydrographs, sedigraphs, and hyetographs, in combination with the rapid response of most of the floods, suggest a large contribution of overland flow, derived mainly from infiltration excess runoff upon badland areas. Accordingly, the significant correlations obtained between rainfall intensity and sediment concentration (mainly during the dry season), which suggest a single source area for both runoff and sediment, also support the hypothesis of Hortonian hydrological response within badland areas.     

怒江流域悬移质输沙时空分布特征及变化趋势

利用怒江-萨尔温江上游地区怒江流域5 个水文站长序列日悬移质输沙与径流观测记录,运用Mann-Kendall 检验和R/S 分析等方法,分析了50 多年来(1956-2011) 怒江干流和支流南汀河输沙时空格局和变化特征及其与径流的关系.结果表明：(1) 怒江干流平均含沙量和输沙模数远小于支流南汀河,流域悬移质输沙率年际变异系数随控制面积增大而减小;(2) 怒江干流木城站悬移质输沙率小于其上游道街坝站,部分泥沙淤积在区间河床可能是其原因之一;(3) 怒江流域悬移质输沙年内分配极不均匀,干流悬移质输沙集中程度在月以上时间尺度高于支流南汀河,而在日时间尺度则低于支流南汀河;(4) 怒江干流和支流南汀河悬移质输沙率均呈明显上升趋势,且未来仍将延续上升趋势,二者的突变分别始于1987 年和1980 年;(5) 怒江干流中上游悬移质输沙与径流的相关性不显著,中下游、下游以及支流南汀河悬移质输沙与径流的相关性均显著.     

黄河入海泥沙悬移输送机制的控制试验

Five diagnostic experiments with a 3D baroclinic hydrodynamic and sediment transport model ECOMSED in couple with the third generation wave model SWAN and the Grant-Madsen bottom boundary layer model driven by the monthly sediment load of the Yellow River, were conducted to separately diagnose effects of different hydrodynamic factors on transport of suspended sediment discharged from the Yellow River in the Bohai Sea. Both transport and spatio-temporal distribution of suspended sediment concentration in the Bohai Sea were numerially simulated. It could be concluded that suspended sediment discharged from the Yellow River cannot be delivered in long distance under the condition of tidal current. Almost all of sediments from the Yellow River are deposited outside the delta under the condition of wind-driven current, and only very small of them are transported faraway. On the basis of wind forcing, sediments from the Yellow River are mainly transported north-northwestward, and others which are first delivered to the Laizhou Bay are continuously moved northward. An obvious 3D structure characteristic of sediment transport is produced in the wind-driven and tide-induced residual circulation condition. Transport patterns at all layers are generally consistent with circulation structure, but there is apparent deviation between the depth-averaged sediment flux and the circulation structure. The phase of temporal variation of sediment concentration is consistent with that of the bottom shear stress, both of which are proved to have a ten-day cycle in wave and current condition.     

Diagnostic experiments for transport mechanisms of suspended sediment discharged from the Yellow River in the Bohai Sea

Five diagnostic experiments with a 3D baroclinic hydrodynamic and sediment transport model ECOMSED in couple with the third generation wave model SWAN and the Grant–Madsen bottom boundary layer model driven by the monthly sediment load of the Yellow River, were conducted to separately diagnose effects of different hydrodynamic factors on transport of suspended sediment discharged from the Yellow River in the Bohai Sea. Both transport and spatio-temporal distribution of suspended sediment concentration in the Bohai Sea were numerially simulated. It could be concluded that suspended sediment discharged from the Yellow River cannot be delivered in long distance under the condition of tidal current. Almost all of sediments from the Yellow River are deposited outside the delta under the condition of wind-driven current, and only very small of them are transported faraway. On the basis of wind forcing, sediments from the Yellow River are mainly transported north-northwestward, and others which are first delivered to the Laizhou Bay are continuously moved northward. An obvious 3D structure characteristic of sediment transport is produced in the wind-driven and tide-induced residual circulation condition. Transport patterns at all layers are generally consistent with circulation structure, but there is apparent deviation between the depth-averaged sediment flux and the circulation structure. The phase of temporal variation of sediment concentration is consistent with that of the bottom shear stress, both of which are proved to have a ten-day cycle in wave and current condition.     

Numerical simulation on seasonal transport variations and mechanisms of suspended sediment discharged from the Yellow River to the Bohai Sea

Based on sediment and discharge flux data for the Yellow River, realistic forcing fields and bathymetry of the Bohai Sea, a suspended sediment transport module is driven by a wave-current coupled model to research seasonal variations and mechanisms of suspended load transport to the Bohai Sea. It could be concluded that surface sediment concentration indicates a distinct spatial distribution characteristic that varies seasonally in the Bohai Sea. Sediment concentration is rather high near the Yellow River estuary, seasonal variations of which are controlled by quantity of sediment from the Yellow River, suspended sediment concentration reaches its maximum during summer and fall. Furthermore, sediment concentration decreases rapidly in other seas far from the Yellow River estuary and maintains a very low level in the center of the Bohai Sea, and is dominated by seasonal variations of climatology wind field in the Bohai Sea. Only a small amount of sediments imported from the Yellow River are delivered northwestward to the southern coast of the Bohai Bay. Majority of sediments are transported southeastward to the Laizhou Bay, where sediments are continuously delivered into the center of the Bohai Sea in a northeastward direction, and part of them are transported eastward alongshore through the Bohai Strait. 69% of sediments from the Yellow River are deposited near the river delta, 31% conveyed seaward, within which, 4% exported to the northern Yellow Sea through the Bohai Strait. Wind wave is the most essential contributor to seasonal variations of sediment concentration in the Bohai Sea, and the contribution of tidal currents is also significant in shallow waters when wind speed is low.     

黄河入海悬沙季节输送变化与输送机制的数值研究

Based on sediment and discharge flux data for the Yellow River, realistic forcing fields and bathymetry of the Bohai Sea, a suspended sediment transport module is driven by a wave-current coupled model to research seasonal variations and mechanisms of suspended load transport to the Bohai Sea. It could be concluded that surface sediment concentration indicates a distinct spatial distribution characteristic that varies seasonally in the Bohai Sea. Sediment concentration is rather high near the Yellow River estuary, seasonal variations of which are controlled by quantity of sediment from the Yellow River, suspended sediment concentration reaches its maximum during summer and fall. Furthermore, sediment concentration decreases rapidly in other seas far from the Yellow River estuary and maintains a very low level in the center of the Bohai Sea, and is dominated by seasonal variations of climatology wind field in the Bohai Sea. Only a small amount of sediments imported from the Yellow River are delivered northwestward to the southern coast of the Bohai Bay. Majority of sediments are transported southeastward to the Laizhou Bay, where sediments are continuously delivered into the center of the Bohai Sea in a northeastward direction, and part of them are transported eastward alongshore through the Bohai Strait. 69% of sediments from the Yellow River are deposited near the river delta, 31% conveyed seaward, within which, 4% exported to the northern Yellow Sea through the Bohai Strait. Wind wave is the most essential contributor to seasonal variations of sediment concentration in the Bohai Sea, and the contribution of tidal currents is also significant in shallow waters when wind speed is low.     

The role of channel and floodplain storage in the suspended sediment budget of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, UK

This study attempts to quantify the amount of fine-grained (ca. < 150 μm) sediment stored on the floodplains and on the channel bed of the non-tidal sections of the main channels in the catchment of the River Ouse (3315 km²) and of one of its tributaries, the River Waarfe (818 km²), in Yorkshire, UK. Caesium-137 analyses of floodplain sediment cores were used to quantify the amount of Iloodplain deposition as a result of overbank flooding during the last ca. 40 years. A combination of bulk and sectioned cores were collected along transects perpendicular to the channel at 26 sites throughout the study basins. In general, rates of overbank sedimentation decrease with distance from the channel. The average values for individual transects range between 0.010 and 0.554 g cm⁻² year⁻¹. Floodplain storage along the main channels of the Ouse and Wharfe basins accounts for 60645 and 10325 t year⁻¹, respectively, and represents a net loss from the system. The amount of fine-grained sediment stored on the channel bed was estimated by a survey undertaken in August 1996, during which the fine material deposited on the bed was resuspended and its mass estimated at 16 locations. The average values for the individual locations range between 0.017 and 0.924 g cm⁻² and tend to increase downstream. The total channel bed storage at the time of sampling in 1996 was estimated to be 16076 and 1866 t for the Ouse and Wharfe basins, respectively. It is assumed that channel bed storage is seasonal and that no net loss to the system occurs at the annual timescale. Floodplain storage for the Ouse and Wharfe basins represents 39 and 49%, and channel bed storage equals 10 and 9%, respectively, of the annual suspended sediment load (1995–1996) delivered to the channel system. These results have important implications for the routing of fine-grained sediment and sediment-associated contaminants in drainage basins, and for the interpretation of downstream sediment yields in terms of upstream sediment mobilisation.     

Suspended sediment and Cs fluxes during the exceptional December 2003 flood in the Rhone River, southeast France

At the beginning of December 2003, one of the biggest floods for at least 150 yr was recorded on the Rhone River. In the lower part of the river, the peak flood reached 11,000 m³ s⁻¹. The geomorphological and radioecological consequences of such an event were investigated downstream all the nuclear installations by using measured and calculated fluxes and the total export of suspended sediment and associated ¹³⁷Cs. Results pointed out the major role played by large floods in the annual suspended sediment load, as 3.70 × 10⁶ tons of silts, 0.85 × 10⁶ tons of sands, and 0.84 × 10⁶ tons of clays were transferred towards the coastal environment. Nevertheless, these solid loads were found to be lower than those expected as regards the liquid discharge reached during this event and suggested that previous floods that occurred on the river and on its main tributaries during the last decade have probably led to the removal of available sediment from the channels and their banks. Besides, the ¹³⁷Cs activity measured within the suspended load was estimated at 14.9 ± 0.4 Bq kg⁻¹, which is a level characteristic of the suspended sediments from the Rhone catchment area and demonstrated that nuclear installations located along the Rhone valley did not significantly contribute to any increase in ¹³⁷Cs activity in the water during the flood. The total ¹³⁷Cs particulate export amounted to 77 ± 17 GBq and was mainly associated with the silt fraction that contributes to around 70% of the total ¹³⁷Cs export.     

Flexural deformation controls on Late Quaternary sediment dispersal in the Garo-Rajmahal Gap,NW Bengal Basin

Subsurface deformation is a driver for river path selection when deformation rates become comparable to the autogenic mobility rate of rivers. Here we combine geomorphology, soil and sediment facies analyses, and geophysical data of the Late Quaternary sediments of the central Garo-Rajmahal Gap in Northwest Bengal to link subsurface deformation with surface processes. We show variable sedimentation characteristics, from slow rates (<0.8 mm/year) in the Tista megafan at the foot of the Himalaya to nondeposition at the exposed surface of the Barind Tract to the south, enabling the development of mature soils. Combined subsidence in the Tista fan and uplift of the Barind Tract are consistent with a N-S flexural response of the Indian plate to loading of the Himalaya Mountains given a low value of elastic thickness (15–25 km). Provenance analysis based on bulk strontium concentration suggests a dispersal of sediment consistent with this flexural deformation—in particular the abandonment of the Barind Tract by a Pleistocene Brahmaputra River and the current extents of the Tista megafan lobes. Overall, these results highlight the control by deeply rooted deformation patterns on the routing of sediment by large rivers in foreland settings.     

Aeolian sediment provenance and transport in the upper and middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River,Tibet Plateau

Frequent and serious aeolian disasters occur in the upper and middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, which runs through the high-elevation Tibet Plateau. Sediment geochemical characteristics can be used as a proxy to identify the sediment's provenance. To determine the provenance of aeolian sediments in the river's basin, we analysed major and trace element contents from surface samples and local clastic rocks throughout the basin. We found that the major and trace elements differed between the middle reaches, upper reaches and regions south of the river. Major element contents were similar in the upper and middle reaches, but trace elements differed. Al₂O₃, MgO and Na₂O concentrations increased from the upper reaches to the lower reaches, and in the lower reaches, MgO and Na₂O were enriched compared with the crustal average. The similarities between samples in the lower part of the upper reaches and those in the middle reaches indicated that sediment transported by fluvial systems from the upper reaches were first deposited in the wide valleys near Xigaze, where they formed a large area of shifting sand. These deposits were then transported by the wind to the river's middle reaches, where they formed a large area of shifting sand. When we compared aeolian sediment in the middle reaches with the local clastic rocks, they appeared to be unrelated. The difference between sediments south of the river and those in the middle reaches means that the southern sediments were not transported to the middle reaches. Therefore, the aeolian sediment in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River mainly came from the lower part of the upper reaches, not from the local clastic rocks.     

塔里木河下游生态输水河道两侧区域地下水运动规律研究

根据塔里木河下游断流区域含水层水文地质特征及其实际输水过程中河水对浅层地下水的补给规律,建立了塔里木河下游绿色走廊生态输水河道附近区域地下水运动的一维非稳定流模型,并通过在整个输水过程中流量与水位两种边界条件相互转换的一种方法求解模型。最后应用上述模型分析了间歇性输水条件下塔里本河下游断流河段河道两侧地下水位恢复状况,为输水生态效益的定量评价及其今后输水工作的决策提供理论基础。     

雅鲁藏布江曲水-泽当段风沙活动动力条件分析与风沙灾害防治建议

雅鲁藏布江河流宽谷区是青藏高原风沙活动最为强烈地区之一.本文选择雅鲁藏布江曲水-泽当段为研究区,分析该地区1981-2010年以来的风动力条件变化特征.结果表明:1981年以来年平均风速明显降低,月平均风速2-4月最大.受河流-山地复合系统的影响,风向复杂且具有明显的空间差异性,贡嘎以西风和东风为主,泽当包括西风、南风...     

Hydrologic control on the oxygen-isotope relation between sediment cellulose and lake water, western Taimyr Peninsula, Russia: Implications for the use of surface-sediment calibrations in paleolimnology

Systematic variability occurs between the oxygen isotopic composition of lake water sampled in mid-summer 1993 and cellulose extracted from surficial sediments of a suite of lakes spanning the forest-tundra transition near Noril'sk, Russia. Some tundra and all forest-tundra lakes show greater deviation from expected cellulose-water isotopic separation than forest lakes, apparently because of greater sensitivity to ¹⁸O-depleted snowmelt contributions. Cellulose derived from aquatic plants naturally integrates fluctuations in lake water ¹⁸O, providing a signal that is inherently more representative of average thaw season lake water ¹⁸O than the measure of instantaneous ¹⁸O obtained from an individual sample of lake water. Thus, indiscriminate use of empirical cellulose-water relations derived from calibration samples could lead to erroneous assessment of paleohydrology from the oxygen-isotope stratigraphy of sediment cores from arctic lakes. However, deviation from the expected cellulose-water fractionation is a source of lake-specific hydrologic information useful for qualifying paleoenvironmental interpretations and possibly constraining non-isotopic methods that rely on surface-sediment calibrations.